Thai Glow to start Gheco-1 power plant in Q4

Expects to win approval in second round SPPs

Thailand’s third-largest private power producer, Glow Energy Pcl said its GHECO-1 power plant was on track to begin operations in the fourth quarter as scheduled.

“The Gheco-1 should start commercial operations in the fourth quarter, which is in line with our original timeframe,” director Anut Chatikavanij told reporters.

Construction of the 660-megawatt power plant was 88 percent complete, he said. Glow had said start-up of the power plant could be delayed for two to four months from November 2011 because the company needed more time to conduct a health impact report.

The company owns 65 percent of the coal-fired power plant and the rest is held by property developer Hemaraj Land and Development Pcl.

Glow, 69 percent owned by GDF Suez Energy International, a unit of GDF Suez (GSZ.PA), has capacity to produce about 2,118 MW of power, or 7-8 percent of Thailand’s capacity, including the Houay Ho plant, in which it has a 67.25 percent stake.

Glow expected to win approval from the government to sell power from its two power plants to state-run Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) as part of the small power plant projects (SPPs), Anut said.

EGAT, the country’s sole power buyer, is in the process of choosing SPPs to supply up to 1,500 megawatts for the second round of SPP projects, which is expected to be concluded in the next few months.  

Earlier this month, Glow failed to win in the first round, in which EGAT planned to buy 2,000 megawatts from small power producers.