Drought Problem to Be Tackled in a Systematic Manner, and More Power Plants to Be Set Up

(18/02/2013)

The Government is stepping up efforts to ease the pressing drought problem, while seeking ways to establish more power plants for electricity generation, to cope with the growing demand. Speaking in the weekly program “Yingluck Government Meets the People” on 16 February 2013, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra expressed her concern about drought, saying that the problem must be tackled in a systematic manner to prevent recurrence of the impact of drought. The Prime Minister revealed that 29 provinces nationwide had been declared drought-stricken zones and that the problem was likely to become more severe in the next three months. So both short-term and long-term solutions to the problem must be reviewed and worked out. In the initial stage, the Government would ensure that there would be sufficient water for consumption. As for agriculture, she said, the Government would recommend that farmers grow crops that require a small amount of water. All relevant agencies have been instructed to provide more water sources for the people, such as the use of artesian water. The Prime Minister stated that information gained from the areas facing recurrence of drought would be used for sustainable water management. She pointed out that the 350-billion-baht national budget set aside for long-term water resources management and flood control would also cover measures to tackle the drought problem. Concerning the issue of electricity generation, Energy Minister Pongsak Raktapongpisal, meanwhile, stated that Thailand’s electricity demand is estimated to increase to 70,000 megawatts in the next 10 years. Today, since Thailand is able to generate only 32,000 megawatts, another 40,000 megawatts is needed. So the Government is seeking ways to set up more power plants, as electricity is essential for economic and industrial development. Mr. Pongsak stressed the need to seek low-cost energy sources, so that consumers, comprising 40 million households, would be least affected by electricity costs. He cited hydropower, nuclear power, and coal as low-cost energy sources, while natural gas and renewable energy resources are more expensive. He said that, at present, natural gas accounts for 70 percent of electricity generation in Thailand. The country is likely to face a shortfall of natural gas imports in April 2013, since a pipeline meant to transport natural gas from the Thailand-Malaysia Joint Development Area to Thailand has been damaged. Myanmar would also suspend delivery of 1,100 million cubic feet of natural gas per day to Thailand in order to repair drilling rigs at the Yadana gas field. For this reason, he said, the Ministry of Energy is seeking urgent measures to ease the problem, and a call would be made for the public to reduce electricity use in order to save energy.