Govt to launch National Energy Plan in September
The new Master Plan to include 600mw nuclear plants and cap electricity costs at less than 4 baht a unit
The Energy Ministry said on Thursday that it is preparing the National Energy Plan 2024 and expects it to be launched in September, with key contents to include plans for building nuclear plants and capping electricity costs at under 4 baht per unit.
The Energy Policy and Planning Office (EPPO) said this master plan will form the guidelines for relevant public and private sectors to follow to ensure the country’s energy stability, achieve the net zero target in 2065, and comply with global regulations and trade agreements.
Weerapat Kiatfuengfoo, EPPO’s director-general, said that the National Energy Plan will incorporate five energy-related plans to ensure they progress along the same course. These are: the Power Development Plan (PDP) for 2024-2037, the Alternative Energy Development Plan (AEDP), the Energy Efficiency Plan (EEP), the Gas Plan, and the Oil Plan.
The PDP and EEP plans will be the first to undergo the public hearing process, which is scheduled for June 12-13, he added.
Weerapat said the PDP 2024 will focus on promoting the country’s energy security, reducing environmental impact, and capping energy cost at under 4 baht per unit to reduce the financial burden on the public and entrepreneurs.
The EEPO also aims to increase power stability with LOLE (Loss of Load Expectation) at under 17 hours per year, he added.
Under the National Energy Plan 2024, the ministry will consider building power plants that use new technology, including pumped storage hydropower and small modular reactors (SMR).
“SMR is an alternative for energy stability, thanks to modern technology that enables the construction of nuclear plants that are highly safe and require smaller space,” said Weerapat. “We will set the starting capacity of nuclear plants at 600 megawatts.”
He pointed out that Thailand will need more power plants as estimated power usage by 2037 will be around 55,000 to 56,000 megawatts, up from 36,000 megawatts currently.
To help cope with increased usage while minimising environmental impacts, the ratio of power from renewable energy will be adjusted up from 36% of all power currently produced to 51% by 2037, he added.
