Oct. 9--Plans to build coal and nuclear power plants in Thailand will face strong protests from environmentalists unless the government better educates the public about the technologies, says a European engineering group.

The Thai unit of Switzerland-based ABB said state agencies and power policy planners have an obligation to inform the public of the pros and cons the different types of power plant.

"As a one of Thailand's largest power generator suppliers, we could only tell the public that our technologies are moving toward emissions reduction and better fuel efficiency," said ABB country manager Chaiyot Piyawannarat.

The country's existing power development plan (PDP) commits to building four new coal-fired power plants, totalling 2,800 megawatts, to start operating between 2015 and 2017. The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) is also supposed to build two nuclear power plants generating a combined 2,000 MW to come online between 2021 and 2022.

The PDP is now being revised to reflect lower demand, a result of the depressed economy, and to balance fuels needed for power production. Currently more than 73 percent of energy is produced using natural gas, 20 percent from coal and 5 percent hydropower.

Thailand in 2001 scrapped plans to build two coal-fired power plants due to community protests.

The country's power market is expected to grow by 5 percent to 6 percent per year on average, mainly thanks to the increased development of renewable sources.

ABB, a leading global power consultancy, over the past five years has spent $1.2 billion annually on research and development of new power generating technology, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance fuel efficiency, said Mr Chaiyot.

ABB Thailand recently won a contract from Singapore-based Jurong Engineering Ltd which has the government concession to operate a 9.9 MW biomass power plant in Lamphun. ABB will design and supply the biomass generator.

The project is being developed by Thailand's largest consumer products group, Saha Group, which is working with local administrations to use waste from farms.

The new technology provides an environmentally friendly solution for power supply by using renewable energy sources, he said.

Thailand's dependence on coal and gas poses a dilemma which strengthens environmental activists' influence on public opinion, said Hoe Wai Cheong, Asia managing director of Black & Veatch, a power and construction consultancy.

"You have to find the appropriate solution on how to balance cleaner fuel and cheaper fuel and come up with the conclusion whether the country should prefer gas or coal," he said.

Cleaner coal-fired power stations could be built as many suppliers now offer the technology which produces less greenhouse gases older coal-fired generators, he said, speaking at the PowerGen Asia exhibition yesterday.

But it would depend on the Thai government finding ways to balance fuel usage to make power generation more sustainable, he said.

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