Quake caused only minor energy glitches

Electricity generation faced some technical glitches during the March 28 earthquake, but operators managed to keep power transmission uninterrupted, surviving what could be a real test for the nation's power security, says the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC). "Our electricity supply was stable and distribution continued normally during the quake and subsequent aftershocks," said Poonpat Leesombatpaiboon, secretary-general of the ERC. Some problems did occur last Friday, but operators immediately dealt with them, returning to normal operations, he said.

When the 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar, it caused damage to many Thai provinces, including high-rise buildings in Bangkok and areas where power generation facilities are situated. The tremor halted electricity supply of 600 megawatts from the coal-fired Mae Mo Power Plant Unit 8 in the northern province of Lampang and the gas-fired South Bangkok Power Plant Unit 4 in Samut Prakan, according to the ERC.



That should have interrupted power distribution to Bangkok and neighbouring provinces, but businesses and households continued to use electricity with no problems during the quake, said Mr Poonpat. He attributed the smooth supply of electricity to the nation's high power reserves, which are enough to deal with future earthquakes. The ERC, which monitored the situation for three days since the quake erupted, received reports of power outages in some areas in 11 provinces, mostly in the northern and central regions, including Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Lampang, Samut Sakhon and Nakhon Pathom.

The problems were solved and power distribution is working normally now, said Mr Poonpat. The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) and the country's two power distribution arms -- the Metropolitan Electricity Authority and the Provincial Electricity Authority -- have been working together to ensure generators and electricity transmission systems function properly, he said. Egat said earlier it found no problems at its hydropower plants, which continue to supply electricity to the state grid.

The epicentre of the temblor in the region of Mandalay, Myanmar is 637 kilometres from the Sirikit Dam in the northern province of Uttaradit, according to Egat..