Thailand needs both coal, nuke power: official

It will be difficult for Thailand to avoid counting on coal-fired and nuclear power plants in the future since natural gas is rarely found and in limited supply, said the Thai Ministry of Energy.

Deputy Permanent Secretary for Energy Nokun Sitthiphong said the ministry had recently organized a forum, where around 80 academics and representatives of non-governmental organizations met to exchange views on consumption of alternative energy such as natural gas, coal, and nuclear in the future, and a power development plan proposed by Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).

The meeting found Thailand might experience a power shortage if it adhered to the power development plan (PDP), the state-run Thai News Agency reported on Saturday.

Under the plan prepared by NGOs last year, the country's power demand per month is expected to peak at 18,000 megawatts. But according to reliable information from other sources, the actual maximum demand considerably higher at 21,064 megawatts.

Even in February, which is Thailand's winter period, the demand increased to 20,592 megawatts and is expected to peak at 22,567 megawatts.

Because of this, it is difficult for Thailand to avoid relying on coal and nuclear energy for power generation because it is too risky to count solely on natural gas, Non was quoted as saying.

"Natural gas is very unlikely to be sufficient for a new power plant. So, nuclear power is one of the alternative choices. Equally important, consumption of nuclear power can help relieve the problem of a warmer global climate," Non said.

Source: Xinhua