Thailand has entered the wind energy sector stage by handing Siemens a 200MW deal for two projects to be built in northeast of the country.
In all, Siemens will supply 90 SWT 2.3 101 turbines for the Korat 1 and Korat 2 projects with the towers and blades coming from China. The customer is Wind Energy Holding Company.
The deal includes delivery and installation. This will begin in the spring with the aim of completing the projects by the end of the year.
Speaking about the deal, Kay Weber, CEO of the Siemens Wind Power Business Unit APAC said: “The market entry in Thailand proves that our business gains momentum in Asia. We are confident that we will receive more orders in this dynamic region.”
According to the latest Windpower Monthly Windicator, Thailand only has a wind energy capacity of 5MW. The country has a target of 800MW installed wind capacity by 2022. To reach this goal — and realise its ambition to become Southeast Asia’s wind power hub — the country has come up with an incentive regime designed to attract international investors.
The government supports wind power by supplementing the normal electricity tariff with 4.5 Baht/kWh ($0.15/kWh) for farms under 50MW and 3.5 Baht/kWh for larger projects.
