Policymakers ready for gas disruptions
Hot season demands fuel alternatives
The country’s energy policymakers have made preparations for possible disruptions of gas supply, particularly from the Yadana gas field in Myanmar, during the hot season when power demand peaks.
Concerns over possible disruptions from gas blocks, not only from Myanmar’s Martaban
Sea but also from the Gulf of Thailand, have re-emerged as
April approaches.
Thailand nor mally requests that Total SA, a gas production operator in Myanmar, conduct maintenance activities during the holiday-heavy Songkran Festival or other weekends, when power demand is lower.
But for the first time in seven years, Total SA will not be able to abide the request. That has raised concerns about possible gas disruptions during the hottest month of the year.
Gas is normally shipped from Myanmar to Thailand via PTT Plc’s facilities. The national oil and gas conglomerate, on average, brings in 1,100 standard cubic feet per day, which is capable of generating 6,400 megawatts of power — around 20% of the country’s total power supply.
Twarath Sutrabutr, the director-general of the Energy Policy Planning Office, said average temperatures from March to May range 37.6-40 degrees Celsius.
Citing the Energy Ministry, he said every degree increase can push up power demand by 400MW.
During the hot season this year, the energy policymaker estimates that peak power demand could hit a new record of 32,056MW, up 3.5% from the previous year.
The drop in gas supply during the maintenance period has prompted policymakers to prepare alternative power resources such as oil to avoid disruptions.
Rerngchai Kongthong, director of the electricity system control section at the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, said the state enterprise has readied 102 million litres of bunker oil and 14 million litres of diesel to be available to major gas-fired power plants in the country, including Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding, Tri Energy Co and its own power plants.
PTT is also preparing more liquefied natural gas to supply gas-fired power plants if needed.
In order to prevent power shortages, other power plants that had scheduled maintenance shutdowns over the next two months will be forced to delay those plans.
Viraphol Jirapraditkul, a commissioner at the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), said it will provide more bonuses to power consumers who help reduce demand during the maintenance period via the demand response (DR) programme to help avoid shortages or blackouts.
He said businesses who register as volunteers with the ERC to cut power demand during peak hours will be given a three-baht discount bonus per kilowatt hour.
The ERC forecasts the DR programme this year will help cut demand by around 400MW, up from 151MW the previous year.