Posted by The forecast electricity shortfall this April stems from maintenance being conducted on a natural gas platform in Myanmar. Thailand receives 25% of its natural gas from its northwestern neighbour and during the scheduled maintenance that gas will cease to flow. It will affect Bangkok residents as well as tourists.
Shopping centers
In an effort to save electricity during next month’s Myanmar-related, natural gas-dependent energy shortage, the Thai Shopping Center Association (TSCA) has agreed to close 40 of the country’s malls one hour early between April 5 and 14.
By closing early, the malls would cut somewhere between 5 and 10% (or about THB1 billion) of their electricity consumption.
In addition to closing early, the participating malls would raise the temperature on their air-conditioning units by one or two degrees.
MRT Subway
Representatives of the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand have announced a plan to reduce the MRT’s electricity usage by turning off its escalators during non-peak hours.
The proposed plan will turn off escalators leading to and from the MRT between 9:30am and 4:30pm. The service stoppages will begin on April 1 and continue through June 30.
Ms. Rachanee Tripipatkul, Committee Chairwoman of the MRTA, announced that 70 to 80 of the MRT’s 200 escalators would be selected for service stoppages. She estimated that this initiative would save a large percentage of the MRT’s THB1 million daily electricity expenditures.