Greenpeace calls for coal plant rethink in Thailand

Yuthana Praiwan, The Bangkok Post 24 Jun 09;

Greenpeace and its allies are calling on Thai energy policymakers to rethink building coal-fired power plants in a bid to cut carbon emissions, said Witoon Permpongsacharoen, director of Mekong Energy and Ecology Network.

They want the government to review the demand projection, the proportion of renewable energy used and the use of imported coal to fuel the power plant.

Coal-fired power plants also have social costs because they emit pollution and greenhouse gases, affecting the health of local people.

Greenpeace estimates the cost of power production from coal to be 2.75 baht per kilowatt/hour (unit), 0.78 baht for natural gas and 2.67 baht for oil. The figures include the costs of pollution control, greenhouse gas emission, health impacts and accidents in coal mines.

Power demand has sunk since 2007 and capacity utilisation of power plants stands at only 66% or 22,044 megawatts of a total capacity of 31,000 MW. The country will add another 12,000 MW from small and very small power producers in the next few years, he said.

The coal-fired power plants in Thailand will be built by National Power Supply Co and Gheco-One Co, with a total capacity of 1,000 MW. They are expected to emit 9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. Four other coal-fired plants producing 2,800 MW will be built by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) for operation between 2015 and 2017.

Mr Witoon also expressed concern over the environmental standards of the coal-fired Hongsa Lignite project in Laos. As the plant is near the Thai border, Egat, as the only buyer of the plant's output, should be concerned about its production quality, he said.

"There are no environmental standards or health protection laws in Laos, and if the plant emits pollution, it will affect Thai villagers nearby," he said.

Environmentalists also don't believe advanced technology is a solution. Wanun Permpibul, a representative from the Thai Working Group for Climate Justice, said it was impossible for a carbon capture and storage system (CCS) to be commercially viable. He added the technology would never materialise as its cost is too high for the business sector.

Carbon capture costs in research projects in Norway and Algeria were reported at US$15-75 per tonne, with another $8 for transport. Carbon storage is $5-8 per tonne for onshore location and $5-30 per tonne for offshore.

Instead of putting effort and capital into developing CCS, global energy leaders should focus on supporting energy-saving equipment and new technologies for renewable energy, he said.