The Meeting of the Committee for Supervising the Environmental Impact Prevention, Mitigation, and Monitoring Plan for the BLCP Power Company Limited Coal Terminal Project No. 63-2/2560 was held on Friday, June 16, 2017, from 14:00-16:30 at the Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate Port Office, Rayong Province. Mr. Witool Yootim, Deputy Governor of the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand, chaired the meeting. Key agendas included acknowledging the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) project and approving the minutes of Meeting No. 62-1/2560, dated March 17, 2017.
Information was presented regarding the occurrence of Plankton Bloom, or discoloration of seawater. It was stated that this is caused by the rapid growth of certain phytoplankton species due to increased nutrient levels and light, as well as elevated sea surface temperatures. Harmful plankton blooms are divided into two types: those that cause oxygen depletion and affect aquatic animals, and those that produce toxins such as Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP), Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning (DSP), Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP), Neurotoxic Shellfish Poisoning (NSP), and Ciguatera Fish Poisoning (CFP). The report indicated 63 cases of illness and 1 death from PSP at the Pranburi River mouth in 1983. BLCP's marine ecological survey in January 2017 found common phytoplankton species and very low levels of toxic species compared to the incident at Hin Khao Beach, Rayong Province, in 2015. Sources of nutrients promoting Plankton Bloom originate from agriculture, community activities, and industry.
The environmental impact monitoring results for BLCP Power Station's Unit 1 and 2, including the Coal Terminal Project, in April 2017 showed that all indices met the specified standards. These included pollutant emissions from stacks (particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide), general ambient air quality, general noise levels, wastewater treatment plant effluent quality, cooling water discharge canal quality, sea temperature, and seawater quality in Map Ta Phut Bay. The maximum sea temperature measured was 28.6°C at station ST-7, which remained within standard limits.
Regarding the operations of BLCP Power Station and the Coal Terminal from March to May 2017, a total of 1,019,388 tons of coal were unloaded from Hunter Valley, with an average sulfur content of 0.41%, which complies with EIA requirements. Net electricity generated totaled 1,936,050 MWh for Unit 1 and 1,826,605 MWh for Unit 2. A total of 125,919.12 tons of fly ash and 15,578.92 tons of bottom ash were exported. Furthermore, data on unused materials and stack emissions were reported, which generally remained within standard limits, despite some periods of higher-than-normal values due to maintenance or jellyfish issues.
For Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities from March to May 2017, BLCP Power Station organized plant visits, with a total of 2,427 visitors. Tripartite meetings and EIA supervisory committee meetings were held. This also included community career and income generation projects, such as the Sufficiency Economy Organic Agriculture Project, for which certification documents have been submitted. Additionally, over 6,027 million Baht in Value Added Tax and 795 million Baht in Withholding Tax were remitted to local authorities, respectively. Ongoing community social, environmental, and cultural development activities included supporting novice ordination ceremonies, Songkran traditions, and mobile medical units. Full details are in the attached file.