Greenpeace has raised questions regarding Thailand's latest Power Development Plan (PDP 2018), which was recently approved by the National Energy Policy Committee (NEPC). It states that the plan lacks sustainable development content and does not include a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). Furthermore, Greenpeace views the plan as exposing the country to a high risk of reliance on imported LNG and notes the excessive power reserve margin.
Ms. Jariya Senpong, Energy and Climate Change Campaigner for Greenpeace Southeast Asia, has highlighted 5 key issues: the primary reliance on fossil fuels, the absence of a contingency plan should circumstances not unfold as expected, the lack of an SEA report, the failure to specify environmental measures for new power plants gradually entering the system, and the fact that Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are not integrated into the plan.
The PDP 2018 has also been criticized for having a power reserve margin in the system as high as 36%, which significantly exceeds the standard value of 15%. This raises questions as to whether the government might sell the surplus electricity to neighboring countries through the ASEAN Power Grid project. Furthermore, the plan significantly reduces the purchase of electricity from renewable energy sources, with purchases set to begin in another 10 years, which impacts the growth of the renewable energy industry.
Regarding greenhouse gas reduction, the PDP 2018 states that it helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to the PDP 2015, forecasting carbon dioxide emissions of 94,007 thousand tons in 2570, or reduced to 5,121 thousand tons, and in 2580, it will be approximately 103,845 thousand tons. The emission intensity from electricity generation per unit under PDP 2018 in 2570 is 0.339 KgCO2/kWh, which is lower than the previous plan's 0.363 KgCO2/kWh, and in 2580, it will be 0.283 KgCO2/kWh.
Greenpeace continues to support renewable energy and questions why the latest PDP prioritizes large-scale power plants using imported LNG, which requires imports and carries risks related to energy security and price volatility, despite the high potential and decreasing costs of renewable energy. Full details are in the attached file.
