The state waste-to-energy (WTE) scheme is expected to lead to heated competition among SET-listed companies interested in joining a new auction round next year.
The interested firms include Super Energy Corporation, TPI Polene Power Plc, TPC Power Holding Plc and Absolute Clean Energy Plc.
Authorities are organising an auction for WTE projects with a combined capacity of 500 megawatts.
The authorities are expected to call for new bidding next year as the 2018 national power development plan (first revision) states additional capacity of 400MW will be generated under the second phase of the WTE scheme between 2021 and 2037.
Super Energy Corporation announced it plans to participate in the auction of WTE projects nationwide, according to Jormsup Lochaya, chief executive and vice-chairman of the Super Energy board.
The company is preparing documents detailing the technical and financial information of its project proposals for the new auction scheduled for next year.
"We have areas that are ready to develop power plant facilities in Samut Sakhon, Samut Prakan and Pathum Thani, all of which are suitable for WTE projects," said Mr Jormsup.
The power generation capacity of new plants should be 20-30MW, with solid waste of 300-400 tonnes a day, in order to ensure a good return on investment, he said.
Under the WTE scheme, local administrative bodies work with project developers by feeding sufficient municipal waste to power plants.
TPI Polene Power Plc (TPIPP), a WTE developer and operator, plans to participate in the WTE auction in areas overseen by seven local administrative organisations.
TPIPP plans to operate new power plants, each with a capacity of 12-24MW, during 2024 and 2025, according to executive vice-president for accounting and finance Pakkapol Leopairut.