EGAT looks to new technologies to prepare for the digital age

The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) is restructuring its organisation to boost its competitiveness amid a fierce battle with sizeable independent power producers (IPPs).

EGAT is streamlining its businesses to cope with the changing direction of the power plant business, which has turned to focus on new technologies that lessen the scale of production capacity yet remains competitive cost wise.

Dr Somchai Chokmaviroj, EGAT’s assistant director of Renewable and New Energy Research and Business Development Division, said the authority is keeping its eyes on energy innovations that can provide alternative power solutions for Thailand’s energy sector.

Five key areas that EGAT is currently focusing on include renewable energy firms, energy storage, digital smart grid technology, smart cities and bio-economy.

Renewable energy firms and energy storage development are two critical areas can help the Energy Ministry stabilise the energy sector in the future.

The digital smart grid technology provides two-way communication that controls the delivery of electricity from the service provider to the users’ home. The technology offers better electricity management that can convert a city into a “smart city”.

Another focus of EGAT is examining how the global “bio-economy” movement can support the government’s bio-economy development project.

The Thai government has already prepared its infrastructure to support the production of renewable energy. The Ministry of Energy announced plans to increase the capacity of renewable energy that is environmentally friendly. The government also intends to develop a low carbon economy over the next two decades.

“These are five key areas of focusing that help prepares us to cope with a digital transformation entirely,” said Dr Somchai.