BANGKOK – One of the government’s key economic policies is support for community power plants to help generate income for local communities, create more jobs, and reduce costs. The Ministry of Energy will on 16th December propose to the National Energy Policy Council (NEPC) a recommendation to approve this project. To raise awareness, the Ministry of Energy has held a seminar delivering practical politics to officials at provincial energy offices across the country.
The Minister of Energy, Sonthirat Sonthijirawong has urged provincial energy officials to prioritze the development of the grassroots economy through the implementation of energy policies, which will help improve livelihoods, and increase public participation in the production and sourcing of energy.
He said the government now has plans to promote community power plants to help improve the grassroots economy. This project will be co-invested by the private sector and local communities with 150 billion baht investment. Hosting communities will gain income from power plant operations, helping reduce their costs.
Details regarding the project will be proposed to the NEPC meeting chaired by the Prime Minister on 16th December. The Ministry of Energy is ready to promote the campaign immediately after approval.
The Energy Minister has stressed the Ministry of Energy has a plan to consider lower electricity prices in accordance with living costs, and to increase the country’s competitiveness in the region. He said the ministry may have to consider building a new power plant using other fuels at a similar cost should the proposed coal power plant be rejected.
The ministry will soon have to open negotiations with Malaysia and Cambodia to discuss co-investment in the sourcing of new marine energy sources, in addition to Bongkot and Erawan gas fields in the Gulf of Thailand, which may run out in a few years.
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