The state-run Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) expects the cabinet to approve its plan to boost power generation capacity at its gas-fired South Bangkok facility in Samut Prakan after the plan recently went through a public hearing.
Additional capacity is needed as some generators were decommissioned and the Egat needs to ensure there will be enough electricity for Bangkok residents.
Demand for electricity in the capital and neighbouring provinces accounts for 50% of the country's total demand of 34,000 megawatts.
Egat plans to build three new power generation facilities, with combined capacity of 2,490MW, adding to the existing capacity of 1,232MW at the South Bangkok power plant.
The new generators have been approved by environmental authorities, enabling Egat to hold a public hearing and then submit a public response report to the cabinet to ask it for the final say, Piyanuch Klansorn, the Energy Regulatory Commission's director for environment and energy industry monitoring, said.
The public consultation, which was organised online on Sept 17, involved 500 local people, energy authorities and officials at Phuchao Saming Phray Tambon Administration Organisation.
Somsak Kaewsena, chief of Samut Prakan's Muang district, said locals were interested in this project and provided some good ideas regarding the management of the new generators.
According to Egat, it needs 50.8 billion baht to develop the new generators.
The authority plans to ask the cabinet to approve the project next year and once it is given the green light, construction of the facilities will commence in the second half of 2024.
The new generators are scheduled to start operation between 2026 and 2027.
Egat decommissioned two generators, one with capacity of 338MW and the other with 629MW, in 2020 and 2022, respectively.
The authority insisted there was a need to boost the capacity to ensure there will be enough electricity for residents of Bangkok.
Thailand's power generation capacity in reserve is currently only 30% of total capacity, so the country needs to secure more power supply, said Egat.