Power plant investments at the crossroads

Power plant investments at the crossroads

Protests on Bangkok pavements convinced the government to delay a decision on building a coal-fuelled power plant in Thepha district of Songkhla. (File photo)
Protests on Bangkok pavements convinced the government to delay a decision on building a coal-fuelled power plant in Thepha district of Songkhla. (File photo)

The Thepha coal-fired power plant conflict in Songkhla province of the South shows the public decision-making process in Thailand is in a serious coma.

Previous large-scale infrastructure initiatives, such as the Krabi power plant, the Mae Wong irrigation dam, or the more historic Kaeng Sue Ten irrigation dam were all put on hold owing largely to the failure of the public decision-making process.

Such failures are particularly evident in cases concerning large-scale investments that affect local communities and the environment.

Please log in here to fully view this exclusive content. If you aren't a member yet, simply sign up here. It's totally free & takes only a minute.

Adis Israngkura na Ayudya

Adviser of the Thailand Development Research Institute

Adis Israngkura na Ayudya, PhD, is an adviser of the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI). Policy analyses from the TDRI appear in the Bangkok Post on alternate Wednesday.

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT (3)

Moscow strike kills toddler in Dnipro, Russian border district evacuates

KYIV, Ukraine: Ukrainian rescuers outside the city of Dnipro on Sunday recovered the body of a two-year-old girl from the rubble left by a Russian strike on a residential area.

4 Jun 2023

Kunlavut Vitidsarn wins Thailand Open badminton final

Kunlavut Vitidsarn triumphed to take Thailand’s first gold medal of the day by winning the men’s Thailand Open badminton final in Bangkok on Sunday, dominating Hong Kong's Lee Cheuk Yiu, 21-12, 21-10 in just 38 minutes.

4 Jun 2023

14 dead, 5 missing after mountain collapse in southwest China

CHENGDU: Fourteen people were confirmed dead and five others remained missing following a mountain collapse on Sunday in Leshan City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, according to local publicity department.

4 Jun 2023