BANGKOK, Dec 16 – The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) will invest Bt12 billion to solve the problem of power outages at Thailand’s eastern industrial park which contains more than 100 manufacturing plants, according to a senior Energy Ministry official.
Suthep Liumsirijarern, permanent secretary for energy, said the electricity development involves the construction of a power plant in Rayong province to feed five industrial estates – Map Ta Phut, Ban Chang, Hemaraj, Padaeng and Asia, covering 30,000 rai (11,857 acres).
The target is zero outages in 2015 – three years earlier than the original schedule, he said
Mr Suthep said power blackouts and brownouts have affected manufacturing which costs over Bt4 billion per year.
When an industrial plant abruptly stops its production due to power outage, damaged and defective products have to be burnt, causing pollution, he said.
Map Ta Phut encounters at least one major blackout and six to seven minor cases each year.
