EGAT has begun supplying power via the first 500 kV transmission lines in southern Thailand, doubling power supply capacity from the center to the south, improving the security of the southern power system, and contributing to the post-pandemic economic recovery.
M. Kitti Petchsanthad, deputy governor of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), stated that the EGAT has completed phase 1 of the transmission system upgrade project in the western and southern regions to improve system security before beginning to supply electricity via 500 kV transmission lines from Bang Saphan-2 substation in Prachuap Khiri Khan province to Surat Thani-2 substation in Surat Thani province and Phuket-3 substation.
This transmission system improvement project aims to address the southern region’s power system’s insufficient capacity relative to demand, resulting in a need for power from the central region. Following project approval, EGAT began Phase 1 construction of the transmission lines in late 2016, with power being supplied through the lines beginning in late April 2022. As the COVID-19 crisis eases, the transmission lines will help meet the growing demand for electricity in the southern and tourism provinces, particularly in Phuket, which is one of the largest consumers of electricity in the southern region and is located in a tourism economic zone.
This project also increases Phuket’s power supply capacity to 1,170 MW, lowering the risk of blackouts in the southern provinces caused by transmission line failures connecting the center and the south.
