Energy Talk: Renewable Energy Focus By EGCO

               As renewable energy is even clean and no-pollution effect, so the government decides to promote using this type of energy to be more option for Thai society. According to Renewable and Alternative Energy Development Plan for 25 percent in 10 years (AEDP 2012-2021), Thailand could develop renewable energy to replace fossil fuel and oil importing in the future by considering reasonable cost along with technology and other power sources factors.

               Nowadays both public and private sectors have been focusing and promoting to use renewable energy which reflects Thailand have been progressing in long-term sustainability about eco-friendly or clean energy. So, Electricity Generating Public Company Limited or EGCO Group, the first independent power producer in our country, is one of another private firms developing renewable power plants from early stage with a variety of sources - biomass, hydropower, solar, wind and geothermal power in order to supply electricity throughout Thailand, ASEAN and Asia-Pacific.

               In 2001, EGCO Group had developed its first renewable power plant, Roi Et Green. It’s a biomass power plant using agricultural wastes such as rice husk and sawdust as fuels for electricity generation with the capacity of 9.90 megawatt or around 10% of Roi Et province electricity usage volume and of course, has signed Power Purchase Agreement for 21 years with EGAT.

               There are many benefits from Roi Et Green power plant - reducing budget to import fuel, reducing CO₂ emission around 35,000 tons per year, eco-friendly, local employment and utilization of agricultural wastes.

               However, electricity generation from biomass should be considered especially about unstable fuel’s supply due to variable agricultural products, but power from biomass is still attractive for agriculture land like our country.