EDITORIAL
Power to the people
- Published: 11/07/2011 at 02:17 AM
- Newspaper section: News
The new government and ruling party have priority projects, and this is understandable. Especially since the parties in power are going to be replaced, with a new prime minister, it is fitting that they move dramatically on some of their election campaign promises. Only a little way down the road, however, the prime minister and ministers will have to address a priority subject that was pushed to the side on the campaign trail. Several serious issues and problems have popped up on keeping electricity flowing at a time of high and relentlessly increasing demand. Current policies are being stretched, and some are outdated.
There are numerous facets to the problem of providing power. For many decades, state-run firms like Egat (the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand) have done an excellent job of supplying electricity, and opening up ever more remote areas to the convenience of reliable power supplies. The big power projects have depended on dams, lately located in Laos and soon in Burma. Plants driven by natural gas have lately become a major supplier, mostly because Thailand has large supplies of gas beneath the southern Gulf. Small to tiny power production by alternative energy sources have come online.
The result has become something of a mishmash. The country clearly has no real energy policy, except expedience. New power plants can be slotted into areas where local residents do not yet suffer from the so-called Nimby syndrome _ Not in my back yard. Recent governments have thrown billions at large and small projects, often to promote alternative energy. A nuclear plan was drawn up _ two reactors functioning within nine years. It turned out that outgoing Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was secretly opposed to nuclear energy all along, but felt secure enough to oppose it publicly only after the Fukushima crisis following the Japan tsunami.
This article is older than 60 days, which we reserve for our premium members only.You can subscribe to our premium member subscription, here.
