Ban Klong Rua coal port
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Ban Klong Rua coal port is a proposed port for importing coal in Krabi's Ban Klong Rua district, Thailand.
Contents
Location
The map below shows the location of Krabi, the approximate location where the port would be built.
Background
The project is being initiated by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT). The 800-megawatt Krabi power station is planned for Krabi's Nua Khlong district, while the coal seaport project would be established at Ban Klong Ruo.[1][2]
According to a 2014 report by Greenpeace, the Ban Klong Ruo coal seaport project is a new plan by EGAT to find ways of transporting imported coal from Indonesia, Australia and Africa to its coal-fired power plant. Throughout the year, including the monsoon season, the unloading of coal from larger ships to smaller ones would take place at sea around Koh Lanta. The coal will be unloaded again at Ban Klong Ruo coal seaport to an 8.4 kilometre-long conveyer belt to deliver coal to the power plant.[1]
In March 2015 the Thailand Government’s Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP) rejected the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report on the Ban Klong Rua coal seaport and the Krabi coal-fired power plant. A panel reviewing the EIA said it "does not present comprehensive information, nor does it incorporate all concerns from every sector." The Protect Krabi Network presented ONEP with 44,000 signatures from those who support the protection of the area where the coal seaport and coal-power plant would be located.[3]
In July 2015 the Thai government agreed to protester demands to set up a joint committee that would include all stakeholders to discuss the proposed projects.[4]
Opposition
In March 2013, Greenpeace activists protested the Krabi coal project. The action followed a protest by 500 Krabi villagers on February 11, who claimed that a coal-fired plant in their area from 1964 to 1995 had left many of them with respiratory problems and cancer.[5]
In 2014 it was reported that villagers in the southern province of Krabi had come out in strong opposition to the planned project, saying it would cause pollution and damage eco-tourism industries which generate billions in baht for local people each year.[1]
Project Details
- Sponsor: Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT)
- Location: Taling-chan sub-district, Klong Kanan district, Krabi, Thailand
- Proposed Capacity (Million tonnes per annum):
- Status: Proposed
- Projected in service: 2019
- Type: Imports
- Coal source: Indonesia, Australia and Africa
- Cost:
- Financing:
Articles and resources
Related SourceWatch articles
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Krabi coal plant fight heats up; Senate election nears," Phuket Gazette, March 10, 2014
- ↑ "Egat says more coal-fired power plants needed," Nov 24, 2014
- ↑ "Krabi coal plant Environmental Impact Assessment rejected," Phuket Gazette, March 14, 2015
- ↑ "Prayut puts Krabi plant on hold," The Nation Multimedia, July 24, 2015
- ↑ Kritsada Mueanhawong, "Greenpeace goes over the edge to protest Krabi coal plant," Phuket Gazette, March 25, 2013.
