Construction of biomass-rice husk fueled power plant of A.T. Biopower Co., Ltd. located in Bang Mun Nak District, Pichit Province, is completed and starts Commercial Operation and selling electricity to EGAT Public Co., Ltd. today (December 21).

M.L. Chanaphun Kridakorn, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of A.T. Biopower, disclosed that “the Company has developed this biomass power plant in response to the national energy strategy to promote and increase alternative energy. The Company selected rice husk, agricultural waste from rice milling, to use as fuel for electricity generating. Our Pichit power plant at Bang Mun Nak District is strategically located in the center of rice production of the Country, which enable us to have enough supply of rice husk from nearby rice mill sources.”

The power plant has total capacity of 22 MW, consuming rice husk 150,000 tons per year. It is under the Small Power Producer or SPP program of EGAT Plc, with Power Purchase Agreement of 20 MW for 25 years. Project investment cost is around 1,400 Million Baht.

This biomass power plant is the first rice husk fueled power plant to use Suspension Firing System, a technology form the U.S.A. Rice husk will be ground before burning, resulting in high efficiency and complete combustion. This power plant will attribute to reduction of green house gas which is the cause of global warming and climate change problem. Apart from highly efficient combustion, Electrostatic Precipitator or ESP with 99.5% efficiency is installed to prevent dust dispersed.

“The Company is in the process of getting approval for being Clean Development Mechanism or CDM Project as this power plant will reduce global warming problem by spending significant investment cost on generating system and technology for benefit of having an environmental-friendly power plant for sustainable development of the Country.”

Investors of the Project include Chubu Electric Power Company International B.V. from Japan; Al Tayyar Energy Ltd. from United Arab Emirates; Private Energy Market Fund L.P. from Finland; Finnish Fund for Industrial Cooperation Ltd. from Finland; Flagship Asia Corp from Thailand; and Rolls-Royce Power Ventures from U.K. The Project has financial support of 900 Million Baht from TMB Bank Plc. and Siam City Bank Plc.