as an important step towards increased accountability and transparency in the Thai energy industry. Thailand's Power Development Plan, 2015-2036 According to Thailand's Power Development Plan for 2015-2036, the country intends to build 20 additional gas-powered electrical generating stations (17,728 MWe), nine "clean coal" power stations (7,390 MWe), and 14,206 MW of renewable energy, including hydro, a large proportion of which will be imported from Laos or Myanmar. Up to two nuclear plants are also in the plans. Critics charge that power needs are overstated. Thailand plans for a reserve margin—the amount of energy available over that used at peak demand—of 15%. However, the plan identifies reserve margins as high as 39% in some years. The root cause is that Thailand regularly overestimates its economic growth, assuming it to be over four percent when it is historically around three percent. The role of imported hydro is also at issue. In 2015, hydro accounted for approximately seven percent of Thailand's power output. Under the plan, it will rise to 15-20% by 2036, and additional hydro will be imported from the Xayaburi Dam in Laos on the Mekong River and from the Hat Gyi and Mong Ton dams in Myanmar. While these sources may look clean on Thailand's balance sheets, the devastating environmental impacts to locals are simply outsourced. Many have asked why Thailand pursues a few very large coal power plants when it could be adopting safer, possibly cheaper routes, such as biomass reactors, like the 40 MWe plant operated by Double A in Prachinburi using wood and offcuts. The answer may lie in the fact that large, centralised mega-projects benefit the centralised system of project approval. With a public sector corruption rate of 25%, according to the Thai Chamber of Commerce, they can be very beneficial for unscrupulous officials. One reason, however, is the required base load of electricity. See also Economy of Thailand#Energy Nuclear power in Thailand Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand Metropolitan Electricity Authority Provincial Electricity Authority References External links Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) Energy Policy and Planning Office (EPPO) National Energy Policy Office (NEPO) Google Earth Map of the oil and gas infrastructure in Thailand Thailand Electricity Security Assessment, 2016