Mr. Wichawut Jinto, Governor of Surat Thani Province, announced on March 29, 2023, that the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) had invested $1.7 billion Baht to connect submarine cables on Koh Tao, a small island in Thailand’s Gulf of Thailand. The PEA collaborated with Interlink Communications Public Company Limited and Interlink Power & Engineering Co., Ltd. to build a submarine cable system consisting of a 33 KV, 1-circuit electric cable stretching 45 kilometers from Koh Phangan to Koh Tao. This project will help to increase the capacity and stability of Koh Tao’s electricity system, which has been experiencing power outages due to a lack of power supply.
A submarine cable will be built from Ao Hin Ngam on Koh Phangan to Haad Tien on Koh Tao as part of the project. This cable will have a surface area of 300 square millimeters and a length of 45 circuit kilometers. Furthermore, the distribution system on Koh Tao will be improved or expanded, including 21 circuit kilometers and two sets of pressure-elevating equipment, over which the submarine cable will be carried by ship to Koh Phangan in June. The project will take about six months to complete.
Electricity is currently used in 3,554 locations on Koh Tao, including homes, government offices, small businesses, hotels, bungalows, and resorts. There are also plans to construct 22 more hotels, bungalows, and resorts in the area. This will aid in the growth of the tourism industry, which is what the government desires. In 2019, Koh Tao was named the world’s best diving destination, attracting over 555,000 tourists each year, 90% of whom are foreigners. Koh Tao generated over $6.3 billion in revenue in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the fact that the pandemic had a significant impact on the tourism industry, 260,000 tourists returned to Koh Tao in 2022, indicating the start of a recovery. Mr. Wichawut anticipates that tourism will continue to grow in 2023, and that the island will be able to attract more tourists from various countries as it continues to be a top attraction for foreign tourists.
The expansion of the electricity system and the development of the submarine cable system will undoubtedly improve Koh Tao’s infrastructure. This will result in more economic growth and more tourists visiting the island.
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