Government investing to turn Economic Corridor green

The government and private sector have agreed to spend nearly $430 million to turn the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) green and ensure the advanced industrial zone will offer a high quality of life for those who live and work there.

The investments will be just part of the plans to make the Corridor a showcase for clean, environmentally friendly development. The zone will also include smart cities and communities where green living will be built into the designs.

The EEC is a three-province region just east of Bangkok. Formerly known as the Eastern Seaboard, it was the center of the country’s industrial economy that began in the 1970s. Today, it is the nexus for the next generation industries that will drive Thailand to a higher level of development in line with the national strategic policy named Thailand 4.0.

Industry is often associated with pollution. Thailand’s economic planners, however, intend for the EEC to be a center for green industry – and green living. To attract the workforce needed for advanced industries, communities in the Corridor must be modern and environmentally friendly.

To achieve that, the government and private sector will begin by investing in waste-to-energy power plants, wastewater treatment systems, and other measures so that the zone will offer a high quality of life.

The EEC Policy Committee also announced it would cooperate with the Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation Ministry to provide educational opportunities to people living in the area, especially lower-income people.

The goal is to train or re-train locals with the skills needed to work in the higher-tech industries that will require employees, as well as helping families to raise their incomes and reduce poverty.

Photo courtesy of https://www.eeco.or.th/en/content/eecd-eeci