The Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) is conducting a joint study on the "Smart Energy-Smart Grid" project aimed at promoting clean energy and reducing costs for factories in industrial estates.
Under a memorandum of understanding it recently signed with PEA Encom International Co, the study will cover new energy technology, investment and a business model for smart energy and smart grid development on industrial estates.
PEA Encom International is a wholly-owned subsidiary of state electricity distribution arm Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA).
"One aim is to help Thailand achieve carbon neutrality within 2050," said Veeris Ammarapala, governor of the IEAT.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha announced during the 26th UN Climate Change Conference in November last year that Thailand would achieve carbon neutrality -- a balance between carbon dioxide emissions and absorption -- by 2050.
Smart Energy-Smart Grid promotes energy management with help from energy and digital technologies. The latter allows devices on an electricity network to communicate between power suppliers and consumers in order to manage demand, save energy and reduce costs.
Mr Veeris does not expect the joint study with PEA Encom International to take a long time so that it can quickly pave the way for future cooperation to translate the Smart Energy-Smart Grid plan into action.
He said the IEAT first wants to apply the new energy management to its 15 industrial estates as well as the Map Ta Phut deep-sea port.
Khemrat Sartpreecha, acting vice-president of PEA Encom International, said the study would lead to the development of renewable energy to serve industrial estates.
The IEAT currently runs the Map Ta Phut deep-sea port and a total of 66 industrial estates in 16 provinces, 15 of which are solely owned by the IEAT while the other 51 are operated under joint ventures.
The IEAT is increasingly promoting eco-friendly factories. It earlier announced a plan to carry out a "Carbon Neutral Industrial Estate" project at Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate in Rayong, as part of Thai-Japanese cooperation to fight climate change.
It said it would team up with four Thai and Japanese firms to jointly conduct a feasibility study of the project, covering clean energy infrastructure development, zero emission vehicles and the storage of renewable energy.
