Hongsa, Laos: Thai policymakers plan to purchase an additional power from two hydroelectric plants in Laos with a combined capacity of 1,318 megawatts, according to the Energy Policy and Planning Office (Eppo).
They are the Nam Thuen 1 and Pak Beng hydropower project.
Director-general Twarath Sutbutr said Eppo also planned negotiate with the Cambodian government to buy power from a 2000-MW coal-fired power plant in Koh Kong.
In Laos, a SET-listed Ratchburi Electricity Generating Holding Plc is likely to be granted a licence to develop the 798-MW Pak Beng project.
The SET-listed Electricity Generating Plc may also be major holder of a licence to develop the Thuen 1 plant, which has a capacity of 520 MW.
The schedule of the development and operation is yet to be negotiated again between the Thai and Lao officials.
Thailand started buying electricity from Laos in 1998, from Thuen-Hinboun hydropower plant at a capacity of 210 MW.
Since then, six projects more projects have followed to export 3,087 MW of power to Thailand by the end of this month.
Four other power plants expected to sell another 2,334 MW of power to Thailand are still under construction and due to start operating between this year and 2019.
They are the coal-fired Hongsa power plant (with a capacity of 1,878 MW), Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy hydroelectric plant (354 MW), Xayaburi hydropower plant (1,220 MW) and Nam Ngiep1 (269 MW).
Hongsa's 626-MW third and last power generator will be on line next March at an investment cost of US$3.71 billion. Its first unit started operation in June and the second this month.
Hongsa is a joint venture between RH International (Singapore) Corporation, a wholly-owned of Ratchburi Electricity Generating Holding Plc (40%), Banpu Power Plc (40%) and Electricite' du Loas (20%).
Under the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in December 2007, Thailand will buy a total of 7,000 MW of power from Laos this year. Eppo is expected to seek a renewal of the MoU to buy more power.