In Thailand, we reiterate commitment to sustainable energy solutions for businesses, cities and communities
23/05/2017News
On May, 17th, Isabelle Kocher introduced the workshop “Accelerating access to energy in Asia through decentralized energy solutions” on Bangkok, Thailand. The world is changing faster than ever, and the energy transition is gaining momentum everywhere. As stated by the United Nations, access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all is crucial for achieving the other sustainable development goals, such as the eradication of poverty through advancements in health, education, water supply and industrialization, as well as combating climate change. The shift towards new, sustainable ways of producing, using, saving and paying for energy, is shaped collectively and collaboratively by a wide range of stakeholders.
The purpose of the workshop is to provide the engagement platform for the regional stakeholders work on Micro gird development in Asia. The participants included internal teams of ENGIE Bangkok and external stakeholders: representative from local business, financial institution, NGOs international Organization. Therefore, the ENGIE teams in Bangkok shared experience, discussed challenges and solutions during the workshop.
Isabelle Kocher reiterated to the teams that the Group’s ambition goes beyond adapting to the new world of energy, and wants to become its leader and pioneer. In Thailand, we will increase our offer in integrated business-to-business solutions in energy efficiency and renewable energy, supporting the country’s transformation as laid out in the Thailand 4.0 masterplan. The Group is aligned with the Thai Government’s “Thailand 4.0” ambition in moving from an economy based on manufacturing and agriculture to a high-value smart nation through creativity and innovation with a focus on sustainable growth and development without destroying the environment. This ties in with ENGIE’s global transformation strategy in moving towards a low-carbon economy and Thailand 4.0 is an opportunity for ENGIE to contribute to this ambition through our experience, innovations and services in powering economies in a sustainable manner. In addition, we can provide local authorities and communities a wide range of services for smart cities, green mobility and other innovative solutions, drawing on expertise from 70 countries across the world.
Starting from its customer-centric principle, ENGIE will work with local stakeholders to address complex issues and maximize benefits for the people of the country, bringing its expertise in the fields of energy, public lighting, facilities management, security, and engineering. “As Thailand aspires to achieve economic growth and sustainable development whilst preserving the environment, ENGIE sees many opportunities to contribute to this transformation,” Isabelle Kocher said.
An illustration of ENGIE’s alignment with Thailand’s ambitions is the participation of Glow Energy, of which ENGIE holds 69.11% shares, in the development of an industrial waste-to-energy plant at Hemaraj Chonburi Industrial Estate, together with ENGIE’s global strategic partner SUEZ, and local player WHA Utilities & Power. This industrial waste-to-energy plant will have a gross operating capacity of 8.63 MW and will operate under the Feed-in Tariff scheme, based on the Energy Regulatory Commission’s Power Purchasing from Renewable Energy Program 2015-2019. Commercial operation is foreseen to start in December 2019.
Isabelle Kocher commented: “Developing and investing in innovations and new technologies together with our stakeholders, to pave the way for the future is a core pillar of our transformation plan. In today’s connected world, learning from one another is critical for innovation and for mastering new skills needed for new types of business models. To support the rising energy demands in Asia-Pacific in a sustainable manner, our strategy is to work through an ecosystem of partners to co-develop and scale renewable energy and innovative low-carbon technology solutions to meet the region’s unique energy challenges.”