Energy minister details need for 'clean coal' plants

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Pongsak touts coal as solution to energy woes

Democrats say government knew of gas crisis last year

Published: 21 Feb 2013 at 23.42
Online news: Local News

Thailand must consider coal-fired power plants or invest in energy production overseas to meet surging demand for electricity, the energy minister says.

The country needs to secure an additional 25,000 megawatts (MW) of power to meet rising demand, Pongsak Raktapongpaisarn said Thursday.

According to the Energy Policy and Planning Office, national power consumption stands at 31,500 MW a year.

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blobber
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Discussion 32 : 22 Feb 2013 at 19.1832
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Discussion 11. Hydrogen is not the most abundant gas in our atmosphere. That would be Nitrogen. I agree with you that If we can ever get Nuclear Fusion sorted out then our energy problems will be solved.
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Bangon
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Discussion 31 : 22 Feb 2013 at 17.5331
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Every time I read about government decisions and policies, I always ask myself what the 'hidden agenda' might be... In this case: the new dam in Laos (to be built, and exploited by Thay companies), new natural gas sites to be exploited by/with 'brother' Hun Sen in the Gulf, (re-)boost the coal import for some (Thai-)Chinese businesses, restart the nuclear project? IMO, when we could know which would provide the most kickbacks for TS and co., we would know what choice will be made!
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cockeral
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Discussion 30 : 22 Feb 2013 at 17.1030
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If Thailand is forced to use coal to produce power then it should look at the technology that allows the flue gases to be captured and used to produce valuable by products such as hydrochloric acid and carbon dioxide that can be used for enhanced oil recovery from oil wells. Bot have significant commercial value.
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cadcolin
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Discussion 29 : 22 Feb 2013 at 14.1529
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it’s a complex issue and Thailand is not alone
Systems that can be bought off the shelf and proven to work coal / oil and gas produce CO2
Nuclear produces no CO2 when running but gets the environmentalist up in arms
Hydroelectric has a wide spread environmental impact
Solar is expensive and doesn’t generate electricity at night
Wind power is expensive and again when the wind doesn’t blow !!!!!
Tidal turbines are still in their infancy
Ground source heat exchangers have their limitations
Any anybody who claims a solution either doesn’t understand the technical issues or are ignoring the problems to push an agenda
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bucktoui
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Discussion 28 : 22 Feb 2013 at 13.1228
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COAL? Why don't we learn from Beijing? People can't even breath over there, because bad air from burning coal industries. Quick fix like put band-aid on gun shot wound that wouldn't work well in this era of environment sensitive.
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dieter
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Discussion 27 : 22 Feb 2013 at 10.5927
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Ref#21
Last week I was watching the French Channel TV5 which featured a report on all the problems people that putchased Solar Power and Wind Mill Power Generating Set ups are having.
The minmum cost for a small French single family house was 33000 Euros or 1.3 Million Baht.
They reported major problems due to defective circuits causing overheating of the solar panels with many houses burning down. Many suppliers and installers went bankrupt. Many customers are left with a bunch of loose components cluttering up their garages.
The installations requires experts to handle the installation and the maintance. Thailand does not have those ex
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Rab.Madar
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Discussion 26 : 22 Feb 2013 at 10.5426
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tau, Disc 20.....Please read the comment by HowIWish on Disc 22. He lines it out very clearly the dangers that fossil fuels have on crippling our planet. Which ever way you burn coal it produces masses of CO2, in fact it is our biggest producer of CO2. CO2 is at the highest level the world has ever experienced. It is a global concern. It is toxic and causes neural and breathing problems. It contributes to the greenhouse effect which could eventually cause the end for us all.
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pjt
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Discussion 25 : 22 Feb 2013 at 10.4525
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Does not the confusion with the debate over how to handle the longer term supply of energy to a growing economy mask the real issue which is we are exposed to short-term supply disruptions - even if they are due to planned maintenance which was well flagged in advance? Do we not have some form of strategic reserve for gas? What are we going to do if there is a supply disruption due to accident or geo-political events? The technology exists to store gas in underground natural vaults - assuming the right geology exists in Thailand. Some form of strategic reserve would seem essential given our apparent dependence on imported gas
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Eric
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Discussion 24 : 22 Feb 2013 at 10.2624
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We are fond of measuring up to Japan and this temporary energy discomfort just can't measure up to Japan energy crisis. We got to pull together and do some sacrifice just like the Japanese as they face the coming sweltering summer without enough electricity for a considerably longer period. Thailand even fair better with 15% green energy compare to 8% Japan. Creating the infrastructure for green energy takes time and significant investments. All want cheap electricity but when it comes to sensible and cost competitive coal option, all including cheap shot Demo Party have an opinion.
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jck
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Discussion 23 : 22 Feb 2013 at 10.2423
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If the routine maintenance of 1 Myanmar gas platform has the potential to create a nationwide energy shortfall in Thailand, why was this possibility not considered 5 years ago. And please tell the Thai public what could happen here when a foreign platform or platforms go down for an extended period due to major operational failure or a catastrophic fire. Planning and thinking ahead just does not seem to occur to those in power.
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Energy minister details need for 'clean coal' plants | Bangkok Post: news

Pongsak touts coal as solution to energy woes

Democrats say government knew of gas crisis last year

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