H.E. Mr. Nashida Kazuya, Ambassador of Japan to Thailand; Dr. Shuji Yumitori, Executive Director of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), Japan; Mr. Somboon Norkaew, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Energy; Mr. Katsuya Nagano, Senior Vice President and Executive Officer of Hitachi, Ltd.; and Mr. Boonyanit Wongrukmit, Governor of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), participated in the inauguration of the Project on Voltage Regulation Technology Demonstration Using Optimized Performance Enabling Network for Volt/Var(Q) (OPENVQ) in EGAT’s Transmission System on April 26, 2023, at EGAT 50th Anniversary Building, EGAT Headquarters.
H.E. Mr. Nashida Kazuya revealed that the Project on Voltage Regulation Technology Demonstration using OPENVQ in EGAT’s Transmission System is one of the collaborative efforts between Japan and Thailand to achieve Carbon Neutrality by utilizing technological innovations for the development of the country and leveraging the strengths of each country. He emphasized the importance of economic growth along with environmental care and hoped that the government and private sectors of both countries would continue to collaborate to further enhance the efficiency of energy connectivity in the energy sector.
Dr. Shuji Yumitori, Executive Director of NEDO, Japan, stated that as Thailand has a policy to increase the proportion of renewable energy to 50% by 2040, it will cause the fluctuation in the electricity system. Therefore, it is nesessary to have appropriate voltage control to accommodate the increased use of renewable energy. This is the basis for the Project on Voltage Regulation Technology Demonstration Using OPENVQ in EGAT’s Transmission System. Controling voltage with OPENVQ will help reduce energy loss in the transmission system and the use of fossil fuels for electricity generation, resulting in a decrease in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
Mr. Somboon Norkaew, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Energy, stated that it is encouraging that the Ministry of Energy, NEDO, Hitachi, Ltd., and EGAT have jointly conducted the Project on Voltage Regulation Technology Demonstration Using OPENVQ, which can effectively respond to the national energy plan aimed at achieving Carbon Neutrality by 2050. This includes improving the efficiency of the transmission system as well as reducing energy loss in the transmission system and emission of CO2, one of greenhouse gases; thus reflecting the commitment of all sectors to coordinate policies toward sustainable development in the future.
Mr. Boonyanit Wongrukmit, Governor of EGAT added that EGAT has collaborated with Hitachi, Ltd., which received support from NEDO, Japan, to carry out the project in the northeastern region of Thailand since November 2020. It has been successful in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and energy loss in the transmission system by approximately 8-9%, while maintaining the reliability of the power system. It also promotes efficient energy use and increases the potential and stability of the power system to support electricity generation from renewable energy in the northeastern region of Thailand. Additionally, the project can measure the amount of reduced greenhouse gas emissions using Joint Credit Mechanism (JCM) between Thailand and Japan.
