Environmental Criteria for Hydropower in the Mekong Region - WWF

The Current Status of Environmental Criteria for Hydropower Development in the Mekong Region: A litterature compilation
vision to connect the Mekong region grid to the ASEAN grid materializes. That
would serve power markets further south into Malaysia and beyond through Thailand.
Malaysia is an observer at the GMS Power Trade Forums. Thailand is also important
in respect to cross-border trade with neighbours such as Cambodia.
Thailand’s total installed generation capacity is about 23,000 MW (2003). Generation
is dominated by gas (73%), as noted in the table below. Projections suggest the share
of natural gas will increase, dominated by IPPs with gas-based CCGT. There are
plans to introduce more coal (domestic lignite) in the supply mix after 2010, though
these plans are contested. Imports from Nam Theun 2 (5,936 Gwh) represent about 6
months load growth in Thailand.
Thailand Electricity Generation Supply Mix (TWh)
2005
Total Hydro Coal Gas Oil Nuclear Biomass Other Imports Exports
Electicity Supply Generation
Thailand 116,983 7299 18477 85401 3156 0 2648 2 2479 296
100.0% 6.2% 15.8% 73.0% 2.7% 0.0% 2.3% 0.0% 2.1% 0.3%
Thailand presently operates 10 dams on the tributaries of the Mekong basin, in total
about 750 MW of installed capacity. Thailand has made no recent proposals to
develop additional dams in the LMB. The only hydropower in Thailand’s Power
Development Programme is an extension of the capacity of the pumped storage
project under construction at Lam Takhong and a new pumped storage plant at
Kiridharn (outside the Mekong Basin).
Set up an electricity regulatory organization;
The National Energy Policy Office operates as a
department under the Office of the Prime Minister
as the highest policy making body for electricity
affairs in Thailand. The 5-year reform plan
introduced in 2000 included market reform and
enterprise reforms. Market reform covers
establishment/operation of the power pool and
introduction of retail competition. Enterprise
reforms cover privatization of generation and
distribution entities. All energy related industries
(all sub-sectors) and public enterprises are
gradually being transferred under the Ministry of
Energy (MOE).
MOE has pursued industry restructuring centred
on restructuring the Electricity Generating
Authority of Thailand (EGAT) and facilitation of
IPP approaches. Other strategic aims in regard to
the electricity supply strategy are given by MOE
as to:
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