Ratch Group set to to expand power generation capacity to 10,000 megawatts
Ratch Group, Thailand’s largest private power generation firm by capacity, believes it will reach its goal to expand power generation capacity to 10,000 megawatts ahead of schedule at year-end 2023 through new development and asset acquisitions.
Total capacity reached 8,178MW in July, with 6,576MW in operation and 1,602MW under construction, said Kijja Sripatthangkura, Ratch’s chief executive.
He said the company plans to acquire new power generation assets with a combined capacity of 537MW this year.
“We are negotiating several deals with companies in Indonesia, Laos and Vietnam to acquire power plants based on fossil fuels and renewable resources,” Mr Kijja said.
Ratch has allocated 11.3 billion baht for 537MW in capacity expansion. Some 6 billion baht is to be spent during the third quarter.
In the first half of this year, the company acquired five assets — three in Thailand and two in Vietnam — with combined capacity of 243MW.
The company plans to increase total capacity to 8,715MW by the end of 2020.
“Installing over 1,000MW more by 2023 should not be too difficult,” Mr Kijja said.
He said Ratch is also conducting a feasibility study of a plan to diversify into locomotive assembly and keep pace with the long-term development of rail transport nationwide.
The company is working with AMR Asia, a local railway engineering developer, on the study and will make a final decision on the potential business plan by the end of next year.
Mr Kijja said demand for locomotives has been fuelled by projects to build more skytrain systems in urban areas in each region, along with long-haul train transport, since 2015.
Ratch teamed up with BTS Group Holding, operator of the skytrain system, and Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction to develop two monorail projects under BSR Joint Venture. The company holds a 10% share in the venture.
The projects are the 53.5-billion-baht Pink Line, running 34.5 kilometres from Nonthaburi’s Khae Rai to Bangkok’s Min Buri district, and the 52-billion-baht Yellow Line, stretching 30.4km from the Lat Phrao area to Samrong in Samut Prakan.
The routes will require locomotives for up to 160 trains.
Source: https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1968575/ratch-set-to-beat-power-schedule
