NGOs' motives questioned

ENERGY

Energy policymakers have questioned the motives of non-governmental organisations protesting against Thai development programmes.

Air Chief Marshal Pinet Sukarawan, an adviser to the Energy Ministry, said the country's power sector needed new investment and development to serve public demand.

"I can't see how these protests are beneficial to the Thai people. [Protesters] reject not only nuclear power, but other fuel sources, despite the reality that electricity demand will only rise in the future," said ACM Pinet, also a member of the government's nuclear power development committee.

Environmental and social activists in 2003 succeeded in blocking two new coal-fired power plants planned at Bo Nok and Ban Krut, in Prachuap Khiri Khan province.

ACM Pinet said activists needed to be pragmatic and realistic.

"They have asked that state power utilities increase their use of renewable energy," he said.

"We have and are doing more now. But do you know how expensive it is compared to mainstream fuels?

"The government has developed many packages to support renewables, but this is with heavy subsidies. Growth won't happen unless the technology is commercially viable with no subsidies."

He said "scare tactics" used by some non-governmental organisations only misled the public and prevented rational debate.

"[NGOs] have tried everything to distort the information going to local communities, such as citing accidents from European nuclear plants that in fact used technology that is decades behind what is available now," he said.

Nuclear power is actually one of the cleanest power sources available today, he said.

Regulators hope to begin construction of Thailand's first nuclear power plant in 2012, and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) is currently conducting feasibility studies. A total of 16 sites nationwide are being considered, with a final location to be selected next year.

Environmental activists disrupted an Egat-sponsored public hearing on nuclear power last week in Surat Thani. The meeting was ended abruptly with no outcome.

"In some areas, those protesters are being led by local politicians who lost seats in the last election and are only trying to rebuild their public image," ACM Pinet said.

"They aren't acting in the national interest. They only say power plants are evil without any facts at all."

Egat deputy governor Somboon Arayaskul said the agency would start a programme to educate the public on nuclear power after its preliminary survey found most people were dismissive of the energy source.

He said the International Energy Agency reported nuclear power plants emitted 17 grammes of CO2 per kilowatt/hour (unit) compared to 1,041, grammes from coal, 875 grammes from oil and 622 from natural gas.