PDP to face further revision

The implementation of the much-delayed power development plan (PDP) may need to be further put back for a more careful revision to reduce long-term power supply in order to trim electricity bills, says the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI).

- YUTHANA PRAIWAN

The PDP, set to take effect from 2024 to 2037, already sailed through public hearings held late last year but has yet to receive the final say from the National Energy Policy Council, chaired by Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.

The plan must be reconsidered as it could lead to overinvestment in new power plant development projects, though the country's power demand may not increase considerably over the next 13 years, said Areeporn Asawinpongphan, a research fellow on energy policy at the TDRI.

It is not a good idea to push for the construction of 11 new large power plants — eight gas-fired power plants and three hydropower plants — in the PDP, she said.