Thailand

Thailand will soon open its Office of Public Participation in Energy.

Laos will benefit from dam projects along tributaries of Mekong River but Cambodia will suffer most due to fish catch losses.

Work at the Chinese-backed Myitsone Dam in northern Burma is continuing despite a presidential statement last September suspending its construction.

Burma is open to using coal-fired power for a planned $8.6 billion industrial zone in Dawei as long as the electricity is used for domestic needs only, said Pailin Chuchottaworn, chief executive officer of PTT. PTT, Thailand’s biggest energy company, had planned to invest in a coal plant in Dawei that would export power to Thailand before Burma’s government scrapped the 4,000-megawatt project earlier this year, Pailin said. The plant was in original plans by Italian-Thai Development for a deep-sea port and business park in the Indian Ocean town. Burma’s government is “against the idea of exporting coal-based power to Thailand but they will allow coal-based power for internal use,” Pailin said in an interview on Wednesday. PTT, whose exploration arm is developing nine blocks in Burma, stands ready to develop its oil and gas industry, he said. At the same time, the Asian Development Bank is preparing to fund projects in Burma, after 25 years, joining other multilateral agencies and governments. “The development challenges of the country are huge: infrastructure, social sector. They need a lot of support and capacity building,” Rajat Nag, ADB managing director-general, said in an interview in his office in Manila on Wednesday. The ADB is seeking approval from its shareholders to formally begin infrastructure and development projects in Burma, and will work with other agencies including the United Nations and the World Bank, Nag said. Burma may be Asia’s “next economic frontier,” the International Monetary Fund has said, highlighting greater investor interest.

Plans to Invest Over 10 Billion Baht for Renewable Energy Projects and Power Plants Acquisition

The Egco Group signed a US$231 million joint-venture deal with Yanhee Solar for six solar power plants in Thailand.

Electricity supply has been Dawei's pressing problem since the government abruptly halted construction of a 4,000 megawatt coal-fired power plant on January 10.

Thailand has made tepid progress in weaning itself from its inordinate reliance on fossil fuels.

Myanmar has halted construction of a 4,000 megawatt coal-fired power plant following an outcry over its environmental impact.

Thailand's Delta Electronics aims to boost sales by 10 percent this year to $1.3 billion with new products, inlcuding those for solar energy.

The new park is expected to supply power to nearly 4,000 households.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will build a 1,600MW gas turbine combined-cycle power generation plant in Thailand.

In its 2010 Outlook Update, the Asia Development Bank commented as follows on the Asia Pacific Region, “Despite the sluggish global recovery, the region’s growth and momentum has sustained itself in 2011, and prospects are bright for most regional economies.

Thai Solar Energy is planning to invest nearly US$447 million in the development of 135MW of solar projects using direct-steam generation.

Thai Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding expects higher 2011 net profit than last year due to more power plants.

Thailand's Electricity Generating Pcl or EGCO has submitted a bid for a stake in GS Power, a subsidiary of South Korea's GS Caltex, as part of an expansion drive.