Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand
| State enterprise | |
| Industry | Electric power |
| Predecessor | Yanhee Electricity Authority (YEA), Lignite Authority (LA), North-East Electricity Authority (NEEA) |
| Founded | 1 May 1969 |
| Headquarters | Bangkok, Thailand |
|
Key people
|
Mr Kornrasit Pakchotanon, Governor |
| Products | Electric power generation and transmission |
| Revenue | 546,480 million baht (2015) |
| 31,178 million baht (2015) | |
| Total assets | 876,625 million baht (2015) |
|
Number of employees
|
22,955 |
| Website | www |
The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT; Thai: การไฟฟ้าฝ่ายผลิตแห่งประเทศไทย) is a state enterprise, managed by the Ministry of Energy, responsible for electric power generation and transmission as well as bulk electric energy sales in Thailand. EGAT, established on 1 May 1969, is the largest power producer in Thailand, owning and operating power plants at 45 sites across the country with a total installed capacity of 15,548 MW.
EGAT's monopoly position in Thailand's electrical energy market has been challenged by critics as influential as a former energy minister as inefficient and an impediment to the development of renewable energy sources.
EGAT's power generation plants consist of three thermal power plants, six combined cycle power plants, 24 hydropower plants, eight renewable energy plants, and four diesel power plants. As of June 2016, EGAT's power plants provided 37 percent of Thailand's electricity. The remainder is provided by private producers and neighbouring countries. Gas-fired generation powers 67 percent of EGAT's total electricity generation while coal-fired power plants account for 20 percent. Most of EGAT's electricity is sold to the Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA), which supplies the Bangkok region, and the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA), which supplies the rest of Thailand.
Observers have noted that in some Western countries, the state purchases renewable energy from producers first before purchasing non-renewable energy. If renewables fail to meet the country's energy demand, it is topped up using non-renewable energy sources. In Thailand, this policy is reversed.
As of May 2016, EGAT employed 22,955 persons.
In the first half of 2016, EGAT imported 11 million tonnes of coal. Indonesia and Australia supplied 5.6 million tonnes of bituminous coal and 5.5 million tonnes of "other" coal. China and Russia supplied 47,395 tonnes of anthracite coal. EGAT produced 6.88 million tonnes of lignite from January–May 2016, mostly for use in its own power plants.
While EGAT pushes forward with plans for coal-fired generating plants, many countries are spurning coal or deferring its use:
Guiding EGAT's efforts is Thailand's Power Development Plan (PDP). The plan, prepared by the Ministry of Energy (MOE) and EGAT, is issued iteratively. The previous edition, PDP2010 Revision 3, covered the years 2012-2030.
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Wikipedia