Thailand’s Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has chosen 175 companies to participate in the initial stage of its renewable energy initiative. The program has garnered significant interest, with proposals submitted totaling nearly 17 GW, surpassing the targeted capacity of 5.2 GW by more than threefold.
The proposed 5.2 GW capacity encompassed various sources, including biogas (335 MW), wind power (1.5 GW), ground-mounted solar farms (2,368 MW), and ground-mounted solar farms with energy storage systems (1,000 MW). However, the cumulative proposed capacity amounted to only 4.852 GW due to biogas project bidders failing to meet the ERC’s investment requirements.
Among the successful companies, Gulf Energy Development emerged as the largest beneficiary, securing 28 projects with a total capacity exceeding 2 GW. B Grimm Power received nine projects (eight solar and one 100 MW wind) with a combined capacity of 339 MW. Absolute Clean Energy obtained 112 MW from 18 projects, while Thai Solar Energy secured 100 MW from eight projects. Additionally, BCPG, the power generation subsidiary of Bangchak Group, acquired five projects with a total capacity of 12 MW.
The selection process for the program considered factors such as participants’ preparedness, project development and financial capabilities, project location, technology, and fuel sources, among others. Moreover, the Feed-in Tariffs (FiTs) for the initial phase were set at THB 2.0724 (USD 0.0561) for biogas, THB 3.1014 for wind, THB 2.1679 for ground-mounted solar, and THB 2.8331 for solar with energy storage.
The ERC has now launched the second phase of the initiative, targeting a capacity of 3.6 GW. According to Khomgrich Tantravanich, Secretary-General of the ERC, the agency will employ the same selection criteria and power tariff rates as in the first phase.
The second phase allows for the development of new projects involving ground-mounted solar (including those equipped with energy storage systems) totaling 2,632 MW, wind power projects amounting to 1,000 MW, biogas projects totaling 335 MW, and industrial waste-to-energy projects with a capacity of 30 MW.
(Sources: Bangkok Post; RECCESSARY Industries)
