Faced with a lack of energy options, Thailand looks to coal

As the Thai economy continues its steady growth, policymakers are drafting energy strategies with a view toward keeping the lights on for the next 15 years.

To do that, planners say, Thailand must nearly double its electricity production to about 55,000 megawatts each year.

But as Thailand is learning and Malaysia has already discovered, coal could be the key to energy security in the coming decades.
To secure supply in a cost-effective way that won’t hold the country hostage to gas imports from regimes like neighboring Myanmar or Iran, analysts say the most viable option is coal – a fuel source hated by environmentalists who see it as the main driver of global warming.

“As much as I don’t like coal, due to the carbon emissions, I’m equally worried about the need for Thailand to diversify fuel sources,” says Mark Hutchinson, an independent regional energy analyst. “And there’s really nothing other than coal.”

Christian Science Monitor