Although the future of the planned coal-fired power plant in Krabi province remains inconclusive, energy policymakers are now looking for the technology with which to operate the plant.
Among the choices is one from Kyushu island in Japan.
The National Energy Policy Committee, chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, approved the construction of the 800-megawatt plant located in the Nua Khlong district of Krabi.
Strong opposition from villagers worried about the potential adverse effects of the power plant on the environment and their livelihoods forced the cabinet to recently order a review of the environmental and health impact assessments, which will further delay its progress.
Policymakers, however, have decided to search for improved technology to run the power plant to be ready if gets the go-ahead.
Advanced technology used by a coal-fired power plant in a coastal city of Japan to reduce pollutants in the air and water has raised fresh hopes among Thai energy authorities for the Krabi project.
Areepong Bhoocha-Oom, permanent secretary for energy, said the Energy Ministry wants cleaner technology to ensure that the power plant will be environmentally friendly for surrounding communities.
As demand for electricity in the South rose by 4.7% between 2006 and 2016 due largely to the influx of tourists, the ministry is duty-bound to find new energy sources, he said. The 800-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Krabi had been planned to serve the rapidly rising demand.
The South depends on electricity generated from the Central Plains, as the region generates only 3,090 megawatts, of which 343MW is renewable energy. Its firm capacity stands at 2,747MW.
Demand peaked on April 28 last year at 2,713MW. Without a new electricity generating plant, the region is at risk of power blackouts, said Mr Areepong.
He was speaking at a briefing on the power situation in the South during a recent study trip on thermal power plant management and fuel diversification on Kyushu.
His delegation, which included senior officials from the Energy Ministry and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) along with members of the media, visited the Matsuura thermal power station in Nagasaki Prefecture to learn about the successful coexistence of the power plant and the environment.
The Matsuura power plant uses imported bituminous and sub-bituminous coal with clean coal technology, called ultra supercritical (USC), which could efficiently reduce CO2 emissions and other pollutants, said Takeo Miyauchi, superintendent of J-Power, the operator of Matsuura thermal power station.
The plant, which has been operating for almost 27 years, is made up of two 1,000MW units. The first unit began operation in 1990, while unit two started running in 1997, said Mr Miyauchi.
Initially, local residents were concerned about the adverse effects on their livelihoods and the environment as they perceived coal as dirty, said Ryoji Dairaku, deputy superintendent of the power station.
Before the construction of the first unit in 1986, efforts were made to create better understanding with the 22,000 residents living around the project site. Further commitments were made to guarantee that the power plant will adhere to what it said in its official documents that were made public, said Mr Dairaku.
The power station also conducted evacuation drills and allowed residents to visit its facilities annually. Funding was given to nearby communities; vegetables were grown and fishermen bred fish in floating fishing baskets near the power plant. Matsuura fish market today hauls 80,000-90,000 tonnes annually, ranking eighth in Japan, and is known particularly for mackerel, said the deputy superintendent.
Coal ash was used for sea reclamation and to produce fertilisers for distribution to the residents living around the power plant, which use 5 million tonnes of coal annually.
Mr Areepong said the Matsuura power plant's use of clean technology has proved it can coexist with the environment and communities. In fact, the environmental standards applied to the planned Krabi power plant are more stringent that those J-Power used.
The transport of coal on vessels from the port to the Krabi power plant will take place under a confined system. Coal will also be kept indoors, said Mr Areepong. These additional measures were included after hearing the concerns of local residents.
"We want people to see that today's technologies for coal-fired plants have changed from what we have seen in the past. The USC technology is globally accepted. The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank provide loans for power plants using clean technology,'' he said.
Boonyanit Wongrukmit, Egat's deputy governor for corporate social affairs, said the planned Krabi power plant will use high-grade bituminous and sub-bituminous coal and adopt the USC technology seen in the Matsuura power plant. In fact, the USC technology to be used in the Krabi plant will be more advanced and can efficiently reduce CO2 emissions to below standard requirements, he said.
USC technology is also equipped with systems to control other pollutants, such as selective catalytic reduction to control nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions, activated carbon injection to remove mercury emissions, electrostatic precipitator to remove dust and flue-gas desulphurisation to remove sulphur dioxide, said Mr Boonyanit.
Coal at the Krabi power plant will be stored at an indoor facility, an improvement on the Matsuura plant, where coal is stored outdoors.
Egat has agreed to allocate 100 million baht a year to a community development fund for four tambons -- Pakasai, Khlong Khanan, Taling Chan and Koh Sri Boya, which have a total of 9,185 households.
A committee, chaired by the provincial governor and made up of local leaders, will manage the fund, Mr Boonyanit said.
Mr Boonyanit brushed aside criticisms as to why energy authorities chose to visit the coal-fired power plant in Japan when the Krabi plant would be built by the Chinese. He said the main equipment used for the power plant is Western-made.
"This technology [USC] is the world standard. Wherever it is made, it meets the same standard. All equipment and components used for the Krabi power plant are Western-made, either by the US or Europe. The strongest point of the USC is that it requires less coal than previous technologies, lowering CO2 emissions by 10-20%. It also efficiently reduces other pollutants," said Mr Boonyanit.