Thailand ready to be ASEAN power transmission hub

BANGKOK, November 30 (TNA) - Thailand insists on its readiness to be a center of power transmission in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), while Laos proceeds with its goal to be a "battery" of the region. Twarath Sutabutr, Director-General of the Energy Policy and Planning Office, under the Thai Ministry of Energy, told journalists on Sunday that Thailand recently stressed on the stance because of the country's geographical location. Twarath revealed that the Lao government, on the other hand, said Vientiane plans to buy electricity from the local private sector and resell it to other ASEAN member countries, noting that Lao private electricity companies presently sell power directly to other countries. According to the senior official, the latest meeting of member countries in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) could not yet conclude which country would be the center of power transmission in the region under a plan in which countries in the region have agreed to trade in electricity with each other. The senior official explained that China and Thailand have both proposed to be the center, while Vietnam has supported Thailand. The senior official assessed that the issue should be concluded at the next GMS meeting in Vietnam in the near future. GMS member countries include Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and China's southern Yunnan Province, all of which, except China, are also ASEAN member countries. In another development, Thailand and Laos are discussing a new power trade contract, as their present agreement involving 7,000 megawatts of power will expire at the end of this year. Laos has proposed to additionally sell electricity from its 520-megawatt Nam Theun 1 Dam and 798-megawatt Pak Beng Dam, which is a joint venture of China and Thailand's Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding Public Company Limited (RATCH). (TNA)