Power-saving plan outlined

Power-saving plan outlined

The Energy Ministry has announced a new energy-saving campaign and 7-billion-baht incentive package for the new year.

The campaign budget includes combined public-private investment of more than 35 billion baht.

Thammayos Srichuay, director-general of the Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency Department, said the plan was approved by the Energy Conservation Committee this week with budget support from the Energy Conservation Fund.

The energy-saving push comprises 148 small projects with a combined budget of 6 billion baht, with the remaining 1 billion baht set aside for new ideas and campaigns.

The campaign will highlight 20% free project financing for small and medium-sized enterprises to upgrade or improve products or services that save energy.

Some 525 million baht from the Energy Service Company Fund will go to credit guarantees for energy equipment service firms to bid on turnkey projects and have a better chance to score larger-scale contracts.

Also, several million baht will be used for soft loans to companies wanting to change their electric system to save energy.

Chavalit Pichalai, secretary-general of the Office of Energy Policy and Planning, said his agency hoped to cut energy costs at commercial buildings, office buildings and state agencies by more than 7 billion baht in the first year of the campaign and slash greenhouse gas emissions by 227 billion tonnes a year.

The Energy Conservation Fund has earned 7 billion baht a year from levy collection on all types of fuels at 25 satang a litre. It has cash on hand of about 34 billion baht.

The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand last month estimated that if the country had not launched an energy-saving campaign over the past 20 years, it would have needed a further 3,000 megawatts of power to serve rising demand.

Energy Minister Narongchai Akrasanee said despite the current oil price crisis, energy saving and renewable energy would be key policies at the ministry.

Under the revised Alternative Energy Development Plan, renewable energy in the power sector would expand to 16,700 MW or 23% of total capacity by 2036.

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