The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) is planning to build a 500-kv electric line to assure power security in the South of Thailand.
14 southern provinces experienced the largest-ever power outage in May this year which was caused by a faulty high voltage cable. EGAT Governor Suthat Pattamasiriwat said the planned construction of the new 500 kv power cable will be proposed to the board of EGAT for approval.
The cable will be installed from Ratchaburi province, where the distribution plant is located, and will run to the tourist island of Phuket. According to the Governor, around 60 billion baht would be needed to implement the project.
As the power production capacity in the South is still insufficient, the new cable will raise public confidence that such a grand-scale blackout will not happen again. If the project receives approval, the first phase of the construction shall be completed within 6 years.
In addition, two more power plants are also planned in the South, one in Khanom district, Nakhon Si Thammarat and the other being a coal-fired power plant in Krabi. The two projects are now subjected to public hearings and will be later proposed to the government for approval.
Source: http://thainews.prd.go.th/centerweb/newsen/NewsDetail?NT01_NewsID=WNSOC5607090010004
