Bangkok--June 5--Kenan Institute Asia
Thai and US power producers and transmitters, universities and research institutes Wednesday signed an agreement to set up a new institution, the Power Management Institute (PMI), to train the managers of the region's fast-expanding electrical networks in the latest techniques to conserve energy and the environment.
"The PMI can make a critical contribution to improving the efficiency with which Thailand, and eventually our neighbors in the East Asian region, produce and consume electricity. Careful, intelligent management, based on extensive experience, is the key to efficient use of resources and effective protection of our environment," said former Prime Minister Anand Panyarachun, who signed the memorandum as chairman of the Kenan Institute Asia, one of the organizations forming the new training institution.
US Ambassador William Itoh, who hosted the signing ceremony, said the institute would be a cooperative venture involving two major US organizations in the power sector-Southern Electric, which produces power for much of the southeastern United States, and the Electric Power Research Institute, an industry association that provides training and research for many US and international power producers.
Other participants will be Chulalongkorn University, Thailand's oldest university, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA), the Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA), and several of the private companies that are independent power producers.
Anand described the PMI partnership as an "innovative example" of multi-party cooperation among universities, government and the private sector.
The PMI, which will be based at Chulalongkorn University, will conduct a series of short courses teaching the best available management methods for power production, distribution and consumption with a particular focus on efficiency and environmental protection. The Institute will gradually expand its course offerings and add research and consulting capabilities with projected income of 100 million baht per year after the first 10 years.
The PMI was developed by the US-Thailand Development Partnership, a program funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust based in North Carolina, and managed by the Kenan Institute with support from the Thai government's Department of Technical and Economic Cooperation (DTEC).
"The Partnership has played a catalytic role in the PMI by providing some initial financing, but, more importantly, by serving as the initiator and facilitator in bringing together the various parties on the US and Thai sides," said Ambassador Itoh.
The ambassador said this type of sustainable cooperative program would be the hallmark of future relations between Thailand and the United States. He said it should no longer be called foreign aid, but "development cooperation," based on equality and mutual benefit.
Contact: Mr. Richard Bernhard, Kenan Institute Asia, at 229-3131-2
End.