The U.S. Ambassador to Thailand, Robert F. Godec, spoke today at a ceremony to celebrate the recent commencement of commercial operations at EGAT’s rebuilt Bang Pakong Power Plant Blocks 1 and 2. He applauded EGAT for its efforts to reduce emissions. Both EGAT Governor Boonyanit Wongrukmit and GE Gas Power Asia President and CEO Ramesh Singaram were in attendance.
Upgraded facilities, such as two new gas-fired combined cycle blocks powered by GE (NYSE: GE) 9HA gas turbines, are expected to achieve solid efficiency and reduced emissions results three months after the official start of operations at Bang Pakong Power Plant Blocks 1 and 2, announced on September 8. For a typical HA mixed cycle, emission reduction improvements reduce carbon intensity by 60% compared to the average worldwide coal fleet and by 25% compared to the average global gas fleet.
Since Robert F. Godec was just appointed U.S. Ambassador to Thailand, he used the occasion to talk about how relevant the event is. “Congratulations to EGAT for guiding the Bang Pakong Power Plant Blocks 1 and 2 into operation,” “The full refit demonstrates the Thai-U.S. engineering teamwork, with favorable outcomes created on many levels,” stated Ambassador Godec.
“Bang Pakong and Thailand support these goals since they hope to become carbon neutral by 2050 and have net-zero emissions by 2065. This project, in which GE equipment and technologies play a significant role, not only strengthens U.S.-Thai partnerships but also sets a precedent for future joint projects to accelerate decarbonization. “Thailand and the U.S. have shared interests in building a resilient and sustainable future, and we recently welcomed Thailand to the Net Zero World Initiative, a U.S.-led program to leverage U.S. government expertise, philanthropy, and partner countries to accelerate the transition to
As part of the Bang Pakong plant upgrade, two new gas-fired combined-cycle blocks driven by GE 9HA gas turbines were installed in place of the original five blocks burning gas and diesel. The 9HA turbine is the most efficient gas turbine in service today, with over 75 units producing over 42 GW of power across the world. The Bang Pakong power station, operated by EGAT, is the first utility in Thailand to utilize the innovative 9HA turbine and related technology.
To quote the project’s abstract: “This project is in line with EGAT’s aims to increase efficiency and dependability, reduce CO2 and NOx emissions, and cut energy prices for its total assets by replacing them with highly efficient combined cycle power generating equipment.”
To achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2065, the Thai government has committed to retiring older, less efficient plants and replacing them with new, more efficient gas-powered combined cycle capacity “According to EGAT Governor Boonyanit Wongrukmit.
“We are happy of our long-standing collaboration with EGAT,” said Ramesh Singaram, president and chief executive officer of GE Gas Power Asia. After more than 40 years together, our relationship is stronger than ever before because to the trust and mutual respect we’ve built up over the years. The Bang Pakong Combined Cycle Power Plant, GE’s biggest power plant in Thailand, was just launched today, marking yet another significant point in our partnership. I appreciate this chance to restate our unwavering resolve to collaborate with EGAT in order to keep Thailand at the front of the energy revolution in the Asian region.
The additional 1,400 MW of power from the new blocks is enough to provide almost 3 million Thai households. Two of GE’s sophisticated STF-A650 steam turbines and two of the company’s W86 generators have been placed at the Bang Pakong locations, and GE has inked a long-term deal to provide spares, repairs, and maintenance services.
In the present day, close to 30% of Thailand’s power comes from a fleet of more than a hundred gas turbines manufactured by GE Gas Power. In the one hundred years after its establishment in the Kingdom of Thailand, GE has expanded to become a major player in the country’s energy, aviation, and healthcare infrastructure.
