New large-scale power plants remain vital for the southern region of Thailand, says Energy Minister Siri Jirapongphan.
The source of power could be changed to other fossil-based resources if the planned coal-fired plants for the region continue to face opposition by villagers, Mr Siri said.
The new power sources should not push power bills higher than the average rate of five baht per kilowatt-hour set by the National Power Development Plan (PDP) for 2015-36, he said.
Mr Siri said new fossil-based power plants are needed after the latest study found that power demand is expected to outpace supply by 2020, potentially leading to blackouts or brownouts.
He did not say exactly what type of fossil power resources would be used in the South, only that energy policymakers would study which types of fossil fuels match the country's needs.
Under the current PDP, the southern region is set to have two new coal-fired power plants in Krabi with a capacity of 800 megawatts each, along with another facility in Songkhla of 2,000MW. The development period has been set for 2018-22.
For the coal-fired plants in Krabi, the prime minister has already ordered related organisations to re-conduct the environmental and health impact assessment (EHIA) report. For the plant in Songkhla, the project has entered the final stage of EHIA approval.
Kornrasit Pakchotanon, governor of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, said peak power demand of the southern region was 2,624MW on March 18, while all existing facilities, ranging from fossil fuels to renewables, could generate 2,164MW, forcing the region to import additional power from central areas to offset the 460MW shortfall.
Power demand in the South has grown at an average rate of 3.4% during 2007-17, while mainstream gas-fired power plants generate a combined capacity of 2,024MW, Mr Kornrasit said.
While power generated from renewable sources, including large hydropower plants, biomass and wind turbines, has a combined capacity of 382MW, current technology makes it difficult to secure reliable energy from those sources, he said.
Veeraphol Jirapraditkul, a spokesman for the Energy Regulatory Commission, said renewable power in the South is being promoted to encourage investors to make use of all renewable resources in the region.
Currently, there are 117 renewable power plants with a combined capacity of 732MW that are being operated or are under construction, including solar farms, biomass, biogas, wind farms and waste-to-energy projects.