Coal plant threatens paradise lost
Protests over plans for a power station near southern Thailand’s beaches
BANGKOK // Plans to build an 800-megawatt coal power plant near some of Thailand’s most popular beaches have sparked protests and a hunger strike by activists.
They say officials are not considering its impact on the pristine environment that makes the area an international tourist destination. More than 100 members of the Save Andaman from Coal Network this week staged a march and sit- in outside the prime minister’s office in Bangkok against plans to build the plant near southern Thailand’s Andaman coast.
The tranquil Krabi province and its islands are famed for picturesque limestone cliffs and white sand beaches, one of which was the centerpiece of the Leonardo DiCaprio film The
Beach.
“If this power plant happens, southern Thailand will lose a lot,” said Krabi resident Akradej Chakjinda, who has gone on a hunger strike since July 10.
Protesters say the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand ( Egat) is pushing ahead with a bidding process for the plant and a seaport that would receive overseas shipments of coal before an environmental impact assessment has been completed.
Plans to launch the bidding process were delayed until next month, which Egat said was unrelated to the protests.
The coal plant is part of a critical energy infrastructure that will provide Thailand with energy security, as natural gas reserves in the Gulf of Thailand dry up within 10 years, Egat said.
The state power authority has said it envisions building nine coal power plants in the south over the next two decades.
It had planned to start the bidding process on the 800-megawatt plant in advance of the environmental review to save time, a government official said.
“I want to emphasise that this is totally legal and we will not sign any contract with the con- structor who wins the bid process until we pass [the environmental assessment],” Anuchart Palakawong Na Ayutthaya, head of environmental management for the project, told The Nation newspaper.
Krabi remains Thailand’s second- largest area of seagrass beds, which provide a feeding ground for the endangered du- gongs, a manatee-like mammal.
It is also one of Thailand’s major tourist draws. Tourism to the provinces along the Andaman coast has generated more than 376 billion Thai baht (Dh40bn) so far this year, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Krabi and its coastal islands are renowned for some of Thailand’s most beautiful beaches, including Koh Phi Phi, which rose to international prominence after being featured in the DiCaprio film. The Save Andaman from Coal Network – a loose collaboration of environmental, agricultural, tourism and other groups from southern provinces – started their demonstrations on July 10.
They say their demands, which include a three-year waiting period to see if the province can produce 100 per cent renewable energy, have been ignored.
“I’ve seen the beauty of the Andaman Sea,” said Daodin Patavatto, a Buddhist monk joining the protests. “The Andaman is not for one small group of people. It’s for everyone.”