The Key Factor of CO2 Emissions from the Thailand’s Power Sector

The electricity generation sector plays an important role in the economic system, and it is the largest source of CO2 emissionsin Thailand. The key factor contributing to the evolution of CO2 emissions from Thailand’s thermal power generation during 2000-2014 was identified through the Divisia index decomposition.Changes in the emission coefficient, heat rate, fuel intensity, electricity intensity and economic growth were investigated. Results reveal that economic growth was the significant factor for increasing CO2 emissions, while the electricity intensity played a dominant role in decreasing CO2 emissions. Because the growth and development of the economy relies on a large electricity supply, the economic growth influenced the rising of CO2 emission 56,566 thousand tons for the 2000-2014 period. On the other hand, the electricity intensity and heat rate effects were responsible for the decrease of CO2 emission. To cope with the impact of CO2 emissions related to the power sector and to achieve sustainable development, this study suggests that Thailand’s government should implement a plan to reduce CO2 emissions by reconstruction the fuel mix in power generation towards low carbon content, substituting the advanced combustion and gasification technologies to the traditional power plants, improving the efficiency of electricity use by reducing electricity transmission and the distribution of line losses,and promoting a shift of economic structure towards less energy-intensive services.