สำนักราชบัณฑิตยสภา

The Journal of the Royal Institute of Thailand Vol. 30 No. 3 Jul.-Sep. 2005 728 The Role of Thai Energy Policy and Strategies in Sustainable Development c) Strategic Plan for Energy Secu- rity Enhancement This strategic plan aims to en- hance security of energy resources, which the country depends upon, in- volving electrical energy and fossil fuel energy resources, such as oil, natural gas and coal, with a view to optimizing their utilization and ex- tending the energy reserve availabil- ity. • Electric Energy To strengthen the power sup- ply security, the targets under this Strategic Plan include: - The power supply must be in balance with the demand to pre- vent an electrical outage or a voltage drop or an excessive reserve margin. In this regard, it has been determined that the appropriate level of the annual minimum reserve margin should be 15%. - The power tariff structure must be reasonable and fair, with due consideration on fuel options to keep the generation costs at low levels and on fuel diversification to reduce sup- ply risks while increasing the bar- gaining power. - Due consideration must be given to the quality of life of the com- munities and localities as well as the environmental impact. In this regard, the EGAT Plc. is responsible for the generation and transmission systems of the country. Thailand has been purchasing power from two projects in Lao PDR, i.e. Houay Ho and Theun-Hin Boun, accounting for a capacity of about 300 MW. A power purchase agree- ment (PPA) has been signed for another project, Nam Theun 2, with a supply capacity of 920 MW by 2009. There are five more projects proposed by Lao PDR, with a total sale capacity of 1,760 MW, and ne- gotiations on the purchasing rates with the project developers are in progress. With Myanmar, a Memo- randum of Understanding on hydro- power development cooperation was signed on 30 May 2005. Feasibility studies will be carried out on four power projects, with a total capacity of 5,300 MW. As for the power de- velopment cooperation with Cam- bodia, a feasibility study is being carried out on the Stung Mnam hydropower project, from which a capacity of 140 MW is expected. These potential hydropower projects will be able to accommodate Thailand’s increasing power demand in the future, and the future power tariffs are expected to be cheaper than the avoided cost of domestic power plants owing to these hydropower sources. • Fossil Fuel Energy Thailand has limited reserves of natural gas, crude oil and lignite/ coal, accounting for a supply avail- ability of 30, 20 and 60 years res- pectively. Each year Thailand has to import a considerable amount of fossil fuel energy and hence has to face the risk of price volatility. Therefore, the target is set to expand the availability of energy re- serves in order to adequately meet the domestic demand. To meet this tar- get, the government will: - Promote domestic energy exploration and production; - Speed up negotiations and agreements with neighboring coun- tries on energy development in joint development areas; - Cooperate in energy deve- lopment with other countries in the region; - Support the Trans-ASEAN Gas Pipeline Project; and - Encourage PTT Public Company Limited (PTT), PTT Ex- ploration and Production (PTTEP), and potential Thai private companies to invest in overseas energy projects. Figure 6 Thai Oil Rig in the Gulf of Thailand d) Strategic Plan for Thailand to Be the “Regional Energy Center” This Strategic Plan is a signifi- cant move to maximize the geo- graphical advantage of Thailand. Being located in the central of the Indochina, Thailand can link energy supply sources, mainly countries in