Thailand’s biggest private power producer, Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding is contemplating building another unit at the Hongsa power plant in Laos, in a bid to leverage the excess lignite available underground. The company and partner Banpu Plc began a mining project in 2014 and found up to 577 million tonnes (mt) of lignite reserves. This is far more than the 371 mt needed as a power source for the plant’s 25-year concession (2016-41) period. The new unit, if added, will be the coal-fired power plant’s fourth unit and will have the same specifications as the previous three with 626 MW of power generating capacity. The plant’s first unit started commercial operations in early June 2015, while the second and third units’ operations are due to start in November 2015 and March 2016 respectively. About 490 MW of the total capacity of 626 MW will be sold to the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), while 100 MW is expected to be used in operations at the power plant. Some 34 MW will be sold to the Laotian government, with 2 MW expected to be line losses. The Hongsa power plant is 40 per cent owned by Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding, 40 per cent by Banpu and 20 per cent by the Laotian government.
