Academic says IPP bids should be postponed
The government should delay implementing a new 15-year power development plan (PDP) and postpone bids to construct new independent power producer (IPP) plants until an energy regulatory board has been formed, an energy expert said yesterday. Setting up an energy regulator would be in line with the planned new energy business bill, said Chuenchom Sangarasri Greacen, an independent academic.Speaking during a public hearing on the 2007-21 PDP at Thammasat University, she said that delaying the plan was necessary to allow regulators to devise a PDP and hold the IPP bids. She said the body would not have conflicts of interest in the energy business.
Every PDP, including the last one, has been prepared by the state-run Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat).
Nuclear energy is one of the options proposed under the new PDP, with an aim to produce 4,000 megawatts of electricity by 2021.
Ms Chuenchom also said the new PDP lacked certain figures, including the number of power plants to be constructed, the start-up dates of each plant and when its electricity could enter the power grid, and the types of fuel used in the electricity production.
In addition, she said, the PDP must set guidelines on energy conservation and consumption efficiency, and increase the use of renewable energy.
Previous PDPs called for capacity that surpassed the actual demand, which led to the needless waste of money.
The Energy Ministry said regulators could be appointed this year after the bill becomes law. It would not affect investments in new power plants constructed under the new round of IPP bidding since the electricity from these plants could enter the power grid in 2013.