Thailand’s state grid to ink 5.2GW renewable deals in Q3

The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) anticipates that power purchase agreements (PPAs) will be signed with companies chosen to participate in the 5.2-gigawatt renewable energy scheme during this year’s third quarter.

The Office of the Attorney General is currently reviewing the legal aspects of the scheme, which includes power plant construction projects proposed by 175 selected companies. Following the completion of this scrutiny process, the state grid is expected to sign PPAs with these companies.

The state grid consists of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand and two state electricity distribution arms: the Metropolitan Electricity Authority and the Provincial Electricity Authority. The renewable energy scheme’s 5.2GW capacity includes bio-gas (335 megawatts), wind power (1,500MW), ground-based solar farms (2,368MW), and ground-based solar farms with energy storage systems (1,000MW).

The scheme attracted significant interest from numerous companies, with proposed projects totalling almost 17GW. However, after an auction, only 175 companies were selected, and the total capacity was reduced to 4.85GW. Gulf Energy Development, Thailand’s largest power producer by market value, holds the largest share of capacity in the renewable energy scheme. Gulf’s 28 projects have a combined capacity of more than 2GW.

Other selected companies include Absolute Clean Energy Plc, with 112MW from 18 projects, Thai Solar Energy Plc, with 100MW from eight projects, and BCPG, the power generation arm of Bangchak Group, with 12MW from five projects. In March, the National Energy Policy Council approved the second-phase renewable energy scheme, with a total capacity of 3.66GW.

The ERC is working to improve national energy data management through the ERC Data Sharing Project, which utilises big data technology to support authorities and facilitate better decision-making on energy plans. The construction of a data centre is expected to be completed by the end of this year, reports Bangkok Post.