Ratch Group Plc, Thailand's largest private power producer by capacity, remains committed to its plan to earmark capital expenditure of 35 billion baht for expansion in both the power generation and non-power sectors this year.
Chief executive Choosri Kietkajornkul said from this capital allocation, 29 billion baht is designated for investments in power generation. In the first half of the year, the company invested 651 million baht in this segment.
The remaining 6 billion baht in the budget is for the non-power sector, with 301 million baht already deployed as of June this year, she said.
Ms Choosri said in the power generation segment, investment will include the 31.2-megawatt gas-fired Ratch Co-generation (RCO) plant, the 15MW Eco Wind power project, and the 741MW coal-fired Paiton thermal power plant.
RCO is already operational, while the remaining projects are slated to commence operations in the second half of the year.
Ratch operates power plants with a combined capacity of 7,873MW. The company has 17 committed development projects in both power generation and non-power sectors.
Ratch plans to develop 15 power plants from 2024 to 2033, with an annual budget of 15 billion baht allocated for this purpose, she said.
The non-power business includes several ventures, including the operation of the Yellow and Pink monorail lines in Bangkok, two motorways connecting Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima and Bangkok to Kanchanaburi, as well as the establishment of a biomass production facility in Laos and an investment in Prince Hospital in Sakon Nakhon province.
The company also intends to channel an annual investment of 3 billion baht into this segment over the next decade. Numerous ongoing project negotiations are expected to conclude in the near future, said Ms Choosri.
She said this strategic expansion involves hydrogen fuel. The company is setting up a pilot plant for green hydrogen production. There are tentative plans to export hydrogen to East Asia, where there is strong interest in adopting new clean energy, said Ms Choosri.