16 INTERVIEW
EGAT - Developing Sustainable Energy for Thailand
Mr. Prasertsak Cherngchawano, Deputy Governor - Power Plant Development and Renewable Energy of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) is a state-owned power utility and the largest power producer in Thailand. EGAT provides energy-related services and keeps expanding its business in order to build Thailand up as a sustainable energy country. UPDATE is pleased to present an exclusive interview with Mr. Prasertsak Cherngchawano, EGAT Deputy Governor - Power Plant Development and Renewable Energy, with the focus on the roadmap to a sustainable energy future in Thailand. Since EGAT is a state-owned power utility under the Ministry of Energy, what are its key activities and services, especially regarding renewable energy? Our main activities and services are generating and transmitting electricity from renewable energy resources for the whole country as well as bulk electric energy sales. We own and operate 24 hydropower plants, which are located at 26 dams across the country. Moreover, we also have photovoltaic (PV) plants, which produce electricity from three types of PV projects, namely rooftop solar panels, ground-mounted solar farms, and floating solar, which is our current ongoing project. Apart from hydropower and PV energy, we also have a small geothermal plant in Chiang Mai province for smaller-scale power generation and direct use. However, there were some small pilot wind power projects that we have not yet developed further due to limitation imposed by Thailand’s geography. What is the best renewable energy resource for Thailand? Thailand is in a transition towards renewable energy. There are two sectors in terms of the use of renewable energy resources: the development of renewable energy projects for the electricity generation sector and the industrial, business, and transpor tation sectors. In the latter sectors, many renewable energy resources are used. On the other hand, in the electricity generation sector, the main renewable energy resource is hydropower. Currently, there is an
UPDATE 4/2021
installed capacity of 46,000 MW from hydropower; however, according to the Power Development Plan 2018-2037 (PDP2018), Thailand will have a hydropower capacity of between 70,000 and 80,000 MW by 2036. Thailand aims to generate around 35 percent of electricity from renewable energy sources by 2036 (based on PDP). One of the projects for achieving this goal is “the world’s largest hydro-floating solar hybrid.” Please share with us details of these new ongoing projects. There is a total of 16 projects of hydro-floating solar hybrid in nine dams across the country. EGAT together with B.Grimm, our subcontractor, are working on these projects, in which B.Grimm operates the whole engineering, procurement, and construction (EP C) as p e c ts . Be c aus e s o la r power generation is limited as it can only generate electricity from the sun during daytime, EGAT’s Hydro-floating Solar Hybrid Project at Sirindhorn Dam utilizes a synergy of hydro and solar energy generation at the same site. Floating solar, which is being developed, is similar to a normal solar farm, but the solar
