Thailand to buy another 2,000 MW of power from Laos

BANGKOK, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Thailand agreed on Thursday to buy another 2,000 megawatts of electricity from hydropower dams in neighbouring Laos on top of 5,000 MW it had already agreed to buy by 2015, the National Energy Policy Board said on Thursday.

The board said in a statement it had approved an Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand plan to sign agreements to buy 1,444 MW from four hydropower projects in landlocked Laos.

It did not say when the four deals would be signed, but said state-owned EGAT would pay average prices of 1.94 baht ($0.05), 1.97 baht, 1.95 baht and 1.89 baht per unit.

EGAT would buy 523 MW from Nam Thuen 1,440 MW from Nam Nguem 3, 261 MW from Nam Ngieb and 220 MW from Nam Thuen-Hin Bun, the statement said.

The four deals would take the number of power purchase agreements energy importer Thailand had with Laos to eight for a combined 3,314 MW.

It was also negotiating with the Hongsa lignite-based power plant for another 1,470 MW, which would raise its power purchases from Laos to 4,784 MW, the statement said.

The board also approved the establishment of EGAT International Co Ltd with a registered capital of 50 million baht to invest in power projects and electricity-related businesses overseas.

Thailand expects average annual power demand growth of 5.78 percent over the next 15 years, or 1,860 MW per year.

It also plans to raise the proportion of power imported from neighbours to 9 percent in 2020 from barely 1 percent now.