GE Renewable Energy and GE Power, subsidiaries of the U.S. conglomerate General Electric Co. (GE), announced on 13 December that they secured a contract to provide wind turbines with a total capacity generation of 270MW to Theparak, a wind farm in central Thailand. This wind turbine order is also ranked as the largest renewable energy contract from Thailand to date.
Under the contract, GE will supply 90 wind turbines to the Theparak wind farm. Measuring about 156.5m in height, these systems will be the tallest wind turbines installed outside Europe. At the same time, GE will be building collector and grid interconnection substations as part of the service package with the contract. The construction of the Theparak wind farm is divided into three 90MW phases, and the entire 270MW project is set to begin operation as early as 2018. GE will also be responsible for servicing the wind farm for a duration of 15 years.
The solution provided by GE is specifically suited for the wind conditions in central Thailand, according to Pete McCabe, the company’s onshore wind business president and CEO. McCabe further stated that Theparak is expected to significantly help the country’s onshore wind generation to reach grid parity.
The Thai government revised its renewable energy target this year. By 2036, 40% of the country’s energy mix will come from renewable sources. Data from Bloomberg L.P. shows that the share of renewables in Thailand’s total electricity generation came to just 15% at the end of March 2017.
Even though coal and natural gas are still the main sources of power generation in the country, Theparak constitutes a major step towards reaching the 2036 renewable energy target.
