Currently, foreign investors worldwide want to use clean energy in order to reach their target to reduce emission and net zero emissions. As well as in Thailand, investors requested the government to provide clean energy or renewable energy. The significant challenge for Thailand is that the Thai government can meet demand of foreign investors.
Veeradej Tejapaibul, president of the Thai Renewable Energy (RE 100) Association suggested that at the time is a big transition of Thai energy development. Therefore, all sector must help each other while the government sector may take responsible on building the infrastructure of new smart grid.
He said in the future renewableenergy will become the main source of the globalenergy system. It will play an important role in driving the economy and creating stable and sustainable jobs.
“For Thailand, the country is taking a big step into the goal of net zero. To achieve it, however, it needs 90% of renewableenergy in the power development plan (PDP Plan 2024-2037).”
Taking a step on PDP plan may be too late
Under the PDP plan, it is required to generate a renewable energy of 50% or 30,000-40,000 megawatts.
“The plan is only a battery or electrical storage system of 10,000 megawatts, and it will take 13-14 years which is consider too late. From the analysis, it found that if renewableenergy is produce 30,000-40,000 megawatts, the battery storage will need to be increase 2-3 times which will require additional investment within 14 years from now or average per year 100 billion baht.” Mr Veeradej said.
He wondered if the government can meet the demand of investors because If renewable energy is to be produce 90% of the PDP Plan, it will take time to 20 years. Currently, Thailand has only the ability to produce renewableenergy electricity around 4-5 hrs per day.
Therefore, if there is a demand for enough clean energy throughout 24 hrs, the government must generate clean energy electricity more than electricity produced from fossil fuels 4-5 times or increased to 100,000 megawatts and use additional investment 1.5 trillion baht.
“It is consider a great transition, but it is also an opportunity to reduce dependence on foreign energy.” Mr Veeradej said
He believed that the study by TDRI will lead to clean energy and be beneficial to future generations living in a beautiful, green world. EEC yesterday joins five agencies to find a solution to generate clean energy for investment in EEC
EEC signed MoU to five agencies to seek solution
The Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) Office signed a memorandum of cooperation with five agencies to study the guidelines for supporting private power producers to supply clean energy or renewable energy to investment projects in EEC.
The EEC expected to reach a conclusion of the study before the end of the year and the private sector is ready to move ahead with the construction of the power plant in a bid to supply clean energy to businesses in the EEC in 2026.
Chula Sukmanop, secretary general of the EEC Office, said that EEC has signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation with five agencies such as the Thai Renewable Energy (RE100) Association, Provincial Electricity Authority, The Association of Private Power Producers (APPP), and the Thailand Development Research Institute ( TDRI ) to study ways to support private power producers to distribute clean energy to business operators in the EEC through the new electrical grid system.
EEC can use its own law to speed up a construction
Mr Chula said the study will focus on relevant legal matters such as regulations for requesting permission to set up an electrical grid system, and requesting to use land to build an electrical grid system.
He said various regulations and related issues are under the study focus including the cost of building a grid system, social cost and social benefit. The study will be a model for calculating the cost of building an electric grid system from clean energy in other areas.
The study will begin from August to November 2024, totalling 4 months. Later, the construction of a power plant will be implement and project to generate clean energy to supply to business operators in the EEC areas in 2026.
He hopes the agency can use its own law to speed up construction of clean energy to supply investors because normally the process to invest for power plants may take 4-5 years which cannot meet demand among investors.
“If the government cannot meet the demand of investors, they may relocate their factories to other countries and Thailand will lose opportunities for investment.
Related News : EEC joined five agencies to find a solution to generate clean energy for investment in EEC.
