Thailand and coal

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The U.S. Geological Survey reports that while Thailand has some domestic lignite production it is a net importer of coal. Despite this, the significant expansion of Thailand's industrial production is stimulating proposals for major coal, hydro, nuclear and gas-fired power projects both within the country and under power purchase agreements from Burma, Laos, China and Cambodia.

Power station boom time

In its 2010-2030 power development plan, the government-owned Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), the country's largest electricity utility, is arguing for a massive power station building program. With installed capacity as of December 2009 of 29,212 MW and forecast plant retirements and expired power puchase agreements over the period of 17,671, EGAT argues that an additional 54,005 megawatts (MW) of installed capacity will be required by 2030.

Of the 21,564 MW of additional installed capacity that it argues will be needed by 2020, EGAT proposes that it will itself build 4,582MW includingan 800 megawatt "Clean Coal Thermal Power Plant" at an unspecified location. (Later in the plan EGAT refer it only as "New Southern Power Plant".

The utility also proposes that a further 4,400 MW be sourced by power purchse agreements from independent power producers. Of the four selected bidders, 1200 megawatts would be supplied from coal-fired power stations. GHECO-One Compamny would is slated to supply 660MW by November 2011 and 540MW from the National Power Supply Company between November 2013 and March 2014.

On top of the additional generating capacity from its own new power stations and independent power producers, EGAT has grand plans to source 5,668MW from the neighbouring countries of Laso, Cambodia and Burma. Aside from a slew of hydro projects in Laos, the utility also plans to buy 1473 megawatts of power from the Hong Sa Lignite power station in Laos, 369MW from the coal-fired Mai Khot power station in Burma and a further 1,650 MW from "unspecified projects."

Coal mining

The USGS reports that EGAT and "several coal mining companies owned and operated most of the county’s major coal exploration and mining businesses". It stated that in 2007 lignite production "decreased by 4.4% to 18.239 Mt from 19.071 Mt in 2006."

The USGS lists coal companies in Thailand as being:

• Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand which operates the Mae Moh coal mine in Lampang Province. This mine produces approximately 20 million tonnes; and
• the Lanna Lignite Public Company Ltd which operates the Ban Pakha coal mine in Lamphun Province. This mine produces approximately 1 million tonnes of coal.

Closed coal mines

In 2008 the Thai mining company Banpu closed its Lampang coal mine(LP-2) in Lampang Province and the Chiang Muan coal mine in Phayao Province. According to the USGS the combined production of these two mines in 2007 was approximately 3.4 million tonnes. On its website Banpu states that the two mines were closed in late 2008 "due to depletion of their coal reserves. These coal mines are now under rehabilitation stage."

Power Stations

Existing coal power stations

Existing coal-fired power stations in Thailand include the:

• Map Ta Phut BLCP power station is a a 1,400 megawatt (MW) coal-fired power station which was financed by international public investment institutions;

• Mae Moh coal plant, which is located in Thailand’s northern region. Mae Moh started its operation in 1978 with a capacity of 75 MW, reaching a maximum capacity of 2,625 MW in 1996. More than 30,000 residents in the Mae Moh area have been displaced by the plant, and thousands have reportedly suffered from severe respiratory problems. The surrounding crops and farmlands were affected by air-born ash from the power plant, as well as by acid rain, which is attributed to sulfur dioxide released by the coal power plant, according to Greenpeace reports.

Proposed coal power stations

The USGS reports that EGAT "invested $6 billion to build the country’s first nuclear powerplant. The nuclear plant would produce 4,000 megawatts of electricity as part of the nation’s long-term energy plan to cope with looming power shortages. Thailand currently relies on natural gas for 70% of its electricity generation; the remainder was supplied by coal, hydropower, and oil."

In early 2011 Greenpeace Southeast Asia reported that as a part of Thailand's Power Development Plan 2010 "at least nine coal-fired power plants totaling 8,400 MW in capacity are being proposed in Thailand. Two districts in Nakhon Si Thammarat province have been identified for coal projects under the Southern Seaboard Development Program of National Economic and Social Board (NESB)."

Thailand to build coal plant in Burma

According to 2011 conceptual plans of the Italian-Thai Development Public Company Ltd., which has been given a 60-year construction grant by the Burmese junta to establish a deep-sea port and industrial estates in Tavoy, Thailand will build a 4,000 megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plant—the largest in Southeast Asia—on the Maungmagan beach in Burma. The electricity generated by the power plant, which will be 100 percent owned by Thailand, will be used both for export to Thailand and to supply the electricity demand of new industrial estates in Tavoy.

Citizen Action

In February 2011, over 10,000 people formed a human chain to protest a coal plant proposed by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) for Nakhon Si Thammarat Province.

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