BKK Post / 15 September 1998 SPORTS - SEPAK TAKRAW / WORLDS Thai B face Malaysia Tor Chittinand Thailand B will take on arch rivals Malaysia in what promises to be a lively opening match in the 14th King's Cup Sepak Takraw World Championships which begin tomorrow at The Mall, Bangkapi The competition, in which there are a record 15 teams participating, is regarded as a crucial warm-up for the teams taking part in the Asian Games. The two strongest teams, Malaysia and Thailand, will only be taking part in the triple teams event while the individual teams contest will be for countries with less experience. The triple teams are divided into two groups: Group A - Thailand A, Japan, Indonesia and Singpore; Group B - Malaysia, Thailand B, India, South Korea and Brunei. In the women's events Thailand will play in both the triples and individual: Triples Group A - Thailand, Japan, China and Vietnam; Group B - Indonesia, Cambodia, India and Laos. The opening match will begin at 9 am. UBC will live telecast on Supersport Channel everyday from 1 p.m to 8 p.m. BKK Post / 15 September 1998 ELECTRICITY / EGAT SCALES BACK PLANS Cuts in capacity reflect economic reality Purchases deferred, plants re-evaluated Yuthana Priwan and Boonsong Kositchotethana Kanchanaburi The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) will have to cut back power generating capacity substantially over the next two years in line with weaker electricity demand expected over several years. Aside from deferring power purchases from independent and small power producers as well as imports from Laos, Egat needs to reduce or mothball some of its own plants. Siridat Klangwamdee, assistant governor for policy and planning, said the state agency was working to reduce power supply by 2,000 megawatts next year and by another 4,000 MW in 2000. Under the original plan, 2,776 MW of new capacity was to have entered Egat's supply pool next year, and 3,505 MW in 2000. Such additional capacity would create supplies exceeding the country's optimum reserve margin. Without an adjustment, the capacity reserve next year would be 25.79%, rising to 48.87% in 2000, and to 50-60% in subsequent years through 2011, Mr Siridat said. Four Egat plants whose capacity would be cut back include the lignite-fired Mae Moh in Lampang, North Bangkok, South Bangkok and Bang Pakong. Their combined generating capacity is 4,972 MW. Mr Siridat said it had been tentatively agreed that the 2,625 MW Mae Moh power station, already plagued by air- pollution controversies, would have its capacity halved. Egat's Sai Noi and Nong Chok power plants, with an aggregate capacity of 732 MW, may face cuts of up to 300 MW. Another option is to move some of the gas turbines from Sai Noi and Nong Chok to Surat Thani to serve as spare capacity in the southern region where power demand is still rising. These gas turbines would provide capacity that would otherwise be provided by the 300-MW Krabi 2 plant, whose commissioning has been delayed to 2006, according to Siridat. Meanwhile, Egat assistant governor Chalermchai Ratnarak said five of the seven licensed independent power producers (IPP) had agreed in principle to further delay the startup of their sales to Egat by one to two years. However, the commissioning dates remained unchanged for two of the seven plants: Independent Power (Thailand) Ltd (700 MW) in September 1999, and Tri Energy (700 MW) in July 2000, as the projects were well advanced. The five other delayed IPP projects belong to Eastern Power and Electricity, Union Power Development, Bowin Power, BLCP Power and Gulf Power Generation. They were to make combined power sales of 4,967 MW to Egat. Mr Chalermchai said there was a good chance that planned purchases of 1,372 MW from three hydropower projects in Laos - Nam Thuen 2, Xepien-Xe Nam Noi and Xe Kaman - would also be delayed. Egat and government energy authorities have already decided to further delay soliciting purchases from IPPs and SPPs of 3,600 MW until 2000 or 2001. The capacity was destined for the supply period 2006-8. The country's peak power demand for the fiscal year ending this month has contracted by 2.25% from the previous year in line with the recession. According to Egat's latest load forecast, peak demand in fiscal 1999 is expected to grow by 1.54%. Growth of 3.92% is forecast in 2000, and 6.26% in 2001. However, Egat planners are now revising those figures downward.