EGAT to Invest US$1.92 Million in Transmission Cables In South

The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) is planning to invest 60 billion baht (US$1.92 million) to install power transmission cables to supply more electricity from the central to southern regions and to prevent blackouts. It also plans to import coal to feed its power plant in Lampang province in the North.

EGAT governor Sutat Patmasiriwat said he will seek approval from the EGAT board to install 500kV power lines from the Chom Bueng-Bang Saphan power line section to Surat Thani and Phuket provinces to ensure sufficient power supply to the South, with the first phase of the project due to be completed by 2019.

Sutat said that EGCO Group, Thailand’s only independent power producer, is targeting to build a power plant in Khanom District of Nakhon Si Thammarat province in the South. The EGAT is also seeking public opinion on its coal-fired power plant project in southern Krabi province, which has the support of most Thais but the go-ahead will depend on the government’s final decision.

EGAT’s coal-fired power plant in Mae Moh district of Lampang province in the North, which generates power for the North and Central Plain, is projected to run out of local coal supply over the next 25 years.