Thailand Recognizes Feedstock Issue for Biomass

07 Apr 2010
Thailand / Biomass & Waste
Thailand’s A.T. Biopower moves away from biomass to solar

Thailand’s A.T. Biopower has decided to suspend its biomass project due to feedstock issues, and said it will instead develop solar projects.

The company’s 22MW plant in Pichit, Thailand, needs at least 500 metric tons a day of husks, but it is CEO Natee Sithiprasasana said there is not enough supply of rice husks. However, he did not say what the company will do with the plant. The company is considering “small-capital projects” that can produce 2MW to 3MW of solar power, he said, estimating that a plant of that scale would cost about THB 200m (USD 6.2m) to THB 300m. Thailand is drafting a 20-year energy plan aimed at getting 3GW of electricity from biomass by 2030, compared with current output of about 700MW