The 75-2/2563 meeting of the Environmental Impact Prevention, Mitigation, and Monitoring Plan Oversight Committee for the BLCP Power Company Limited Coal Terminal Project was held on December 18, 2020, at Meeting Room 204, VTMS Coordination and Facilitation Center Building, Marine Department. Mr. Porntep Puripat chaired the opening of the meeting. The meeting acknowledged the agenda and approved the minutes of Meeting No. 74-1/2563.
Under the agenda item for acknowledgment, the project announced the completion of Unit 2's annual maintenance for 2020, which took place from November 8-18, 2020, emphasizing safety and health measures, including COVID-19 prevention. Additionally, Unit 2 was shut down from December 18-22, 2020, as per the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand's (EGAT) directive, to align with transmission line maintenance plans. Environmental quality monitoring in October 2020 found that all indices for air pollutant emissions, ambient air quality, noise levels, wastewater quality, cooling water discharge, seawater temperature, and marine ecology met the specified standards, except for a temporary exceedance of particulate matter from Unit 2's stack on October 11, 2020, due to sulfur dioxide scrubber cleaning activities, which were promptly halted and rectified.
Regarding the operations of the power plant and coal terminal from August to November 2020, a total of 1,016,559 tons of coal from Hunter Valley were unloaded at the terminal, with an average sulfur content of 0.42%, which is within standard limits. Net electricity generation from Units 1 and 2 ranged from 313,301-500,031 MWh, and a total of 34,386.55-43,747.53 tons of fly ash and 2,398.27-4,431.09 tons of bottom ash were exported. Furthermore, various hazardous and non-hazardous wastes were managed by authorized contractors.
The working group monitored compliance with environmental impact mitigation measures for the power plant and coal terminal project, conducting on-site inspections of the coal storage yard and cooling water discharge canal on September 29, 2020, and within the power plant and terminal area on November 17, 2020. Activity photos showed inspections of various measures, such as water spraying in the coal storage yard, preparation of noise protection equipment, and installation of various pollution control systems. Full details are in the attached file.
Regarding Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities from August to November 2020, the project returned over 7,152 million baht in value-added tax and 1.2 million baht in withholding tax, respectively. A total of 40 scholarships were awarded to students and 45 scholarships to children of fishing communities, totaling 13,900,000 baht. Activities included seagrass planting, dengue fever prevention campaigns, Kathin merit-making ceremonies, and the opening of the Phra Chedi Klang Nam Mangrove Learning Center. Additionally, the project received a total of 8 national awards for environment, safety, and outstanding establishment.