Thai firm will build region’s largest wind farm

The winds of change are blowing across Southeast Asia’s energy sector. Thailand’s renewable energy firm BCGP will invest $840 million to build a 600-megawatt wind farm in neighboring Lao PDR – the largest wind farm in Southeast Asia – as Thailand continues to embrace renewable and green energy.

BCGP plans to build the wind farm just across the Mekong River from the northeastern Thai province of Ubol Ratchathani. Named “Swan,” the wind farm is scheduled to be up and running and generating electricity by 2023.

The project meets the national objectives of both Thailand and Lao PDR. Thailand is committed to sourcing 30 percent of its power from renewables by 2036. The Kingdom is already the leader in solar and wind power in Southeast Asia.

Small, landlocked and relatively undeveloped, neighboring Lao PDR has an ambition of becoming the “battery” of mainland Southeast Asia. The country is busy building hydropower, biomass, and more traditional types of power plants as a means of supporting its own industries and populations and earning it revenue from exporting electricity to its neighbors.

Lao PDR and Viet Nam have signed an agreement to trade power across their border at a combined capacity of 5,000 megawatts. That prompted BCGP President Bundit Sapianchai to say there is plenty of opportunity for investment in the energy sector.

BCGP is the renewable-energy subsidiary of Bangchak Corporation, one of Thailand’s leading traditional energy producers.

Bundit said BCPG is committed to spending nearly $45 billion to expand its business between 2020 and 2024. The goal is to nearly double its total power generation capacity to 842 megawatts from 452 megawatts.

The company will invest in several projects in South East Asia and three solar farms in Japan in addition to projects in Thailand.

Photo courtesy of https://www.bcpggroup.com/en/our-business/wind-power