Locals to file petition to halt biomass plant approval

A group of local residents will today lodge a petition with the Office of the Energy Regulatory Commission, demanding the suspension of the approval process for a biomass power plant construction project in Amnat Charoen province.

The petition was initiated by the Say Bai River Conservation Network, a local conservation group. These protesters come from a village in Nam Pleek district in Muang district where the 61-megawatt plant will be built.

The commission is deciding today whether it will grant a permit to a company owned by Mitr Phol, a major player in the sugar industry, to build the plant, which is considered to be unusually large for a biomass power plant — typically developed on a 10-megawatt scale.

The letter asked the Regulatory Commission to pause the process and wait for the decision of the special provincial committee, which has been documenting villagers’ questions and environmental concerns about the project.

Provincial governor Amnat Charoen in August established a committee comprised of locals, officials and companies to look into the environmental impact of the project. The inspection is ongoing.

However, Sirisak Saduak, an adviser to the network and a representative of the local community in tambon Ban Nam Pleek in Muang district, said the community will ask the Administrative court to intervene if the commission approves the construction permit.

The project has stoked resistance as the proposed construction site is located just 500 metres from the village and will use water from the Say Bai River, which farmers and villagers depend on for crops.

Mr Sirisak said the project will likely affect the community. “We will definitely be faced with water shortages from the plant. We have not yet fully evaluated the impacts on health and environment caused by the sugar manufacturing plant and biomass power plant,” he said.

According to the EIA, there are around 1,000 trucks carrying 20,000 tonnes of sugar cane per day. The plant has to consume two million cubic metres of water a year, most of which is sourced from the river.

However, the company promises to dig a lake as large as 700 rai to store water, to avoid having to share it with farmers during the dry season.

The biomass plant project is part of the government’s latest initiative to add value to the sugar industry by converting the leftover material from sugar production into an energy source.