EGAT's Thaitanic by Ken Albertsen - HTML preview

But the report also mentioned safety concerns, the threat of weapons proliferation and waste disposal as problems.   Energy security and oil prices are also key concerns for governments. Crude prices have more than tripled in three years, while countries across Southeast Asia are seeing breakneck economic growth.   Greenpeace's Shailendra said energy efficiency and renewable energy such as solar and wind can meet half of the world's energy needs by 2050 while cutting global carbon dioxide emissions by almost 50 percent.   Piyasvasti said that for Thailand, renewables were part of the plan but would not meet their requirement of 1,400 more megawatts of energy per year.   "I think that new projects in renewable energy (will produce) 1,400 megawatts over the next five years," he said, adding that Thailand aims to have their first nuclear plant up and running by about 2020.   Indonesia, meanwhile, said it plans to reduce its dependency on oil from 24 percent of total energy supply now to 3 percent in 2025, when it aims to generate 4 percent of energy from nuclear power.   So far, the only country in Southeast Asia that has built a nuclear power plant is the Philippines -- with chaotic results.  Its 2.3 billion dollar Bataan nuclear plant was closed in 1987 without generating one watt of electricity after it was declared unsafe and inoperable.   Shifting skeptical public opinion in favor of nuclear energy also remains a mammoth task, experts say.   "Public awareness of the nuclear risks seems to outweigh its awareness of the benefits," said Hans-Holger Rogner, of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

 

 

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25.   Sunshine is a Great Disinfectant

 

 

          Besides being true in a literal sense, that chapter title can also apply to the spoken word.  When a debate is open, with no holds barred (i.e. out in the sunshine), then the truth is a lot more likely to shine forth. 

 

     In the mid-1960’s, San Francisco was the epicenter of the ‘Flower Power’ movement. A lot can be said ‘pro and con’ about those times, but most people will agree it was a time and place which enabled young people to open up to one another, and to new ideas, more readily than they normally would.  There was more going on than pot parties, acid-rock, bell-bottoms, and Hare Krishna - though some people say, ‘if you can remember the sixties, you weren’t there.’

 

     Stewart Brand was a young man in the San Francisco bay area who decided to put together a unique magazine.  He called it ‘The Whole Earth Catalogue’ (WEC)  The idea was basically for it to serve as a networking tool among people interested in alternative building, tools, design and power.

 

     At that time, there was no such thing as a personal computer, and the internet was 30 years in the future. A mouse was a little rodent which scurried under kitchen cabinets, multi-tasking was something a mother of twins did, and a browser was a cow in the field. Those were ancient times when the only search engine in your life was your mother or your wife (where did I put my gloves?).

 

     The Whole Earth Catalog’s back cover was all black with a small photo of the Earth in the middle. Never before had anyone seen a photo of the Earth, and its smallness in the big black page gave a sense of the uniqueness and vulnerability of the only planet we’ve got.  It also showed wispy banks of clouds over brown and green continents, and over blue pools of water – indicating life.  Earth is the only planet we have, and its living part is very thin – thinner than the skin of a grape compared to its fruit.

 

     Nearly every concept inside the Whole Earth Catalogue was unique at the time – and none was fictional.  For many, it was their first exposure to practical applications of solar energy, to domes, to zomes, to wind energy and other innovations.  Granted, it’s not as though many of those concepts were brand new (we use solar energy every time we hang clothes out to dry), but rather the presenting of the info in a casual manner – often with hand lettered scripts and hand-drawn diagrams on grainy paper. 

 

         It was all black and white, and many of the photos were non-slick, non-commercial.  Altogether, it was fun and informative reading, and if you were between the ages of 15 and 35, you felt you were getting abreast of what your creative peers were developing.

  

            The Whole Earth Catalog spawned a periodical magazine and web site, but it also inspired an annual fair in nearby Davis California, called (not surprisingly) The Whole Earth Fair (WEF).  The venue was a large outdoor space at the University of California, Davis.  The same spirit of innovativeness and experimentation imbued the Whole Earth Fair – and each year hundreds of vendors and thousands of people would come to play and eat and dance, and learn about innovative new things.

 

     If you’ve read this far and wonder where this is going, here it is:  Let’s have a Whole Earth Fair for Thailand.  Even if it’s a one time event, there’s never been a better time.  The focus could be alternative energy.  Oh ok, in the name of fairness, we’d allow nuclear proponents (and boosters of coal, and LPG, etc) to strut their stuff.  But the main idea would be to get as many proponents of alternative energy to display their wares and share ideas. 

 

    It would be a totally win/win situation.  The organizers would not have to pay any of the vendors to come to display – as the vendors would jump at the opportunity to showcase their innovations.  Fairgoers would get a golden opportunity to see new things up-close – and to ask questions.  Just as good as any other attributes, would be the effect on aspiring Thai inventors. 

 

     Quick, name one innovation or invention by a Thai person in the energy field.  Sad to say, there are none.  The reasons are many, but it’s not because Thais are not as bright as others.  Case in point:  One of the world’s top Scrabble experts is a young Thai man.  Scrabble uses the English language, and English isn’t even that guy’s first language - he studied a dictionary to memorize the spellings of words!  So don’t let anyone tell you Thais are not potentially as bright as anyone else.  One big reason something like a Whole Earth Fair in Thailand would be great for Thais, especially innovative thinking young people, is the inspiration factor.  There’s no better way to learn than hands-on exposure – especially shoulder to shoulder with dem dats doin – where questions and suggestions can be bandied back and forth.  Oh, and it will need to have a large outdoor venue – in order to display solar designs that will be there.

 

     Thailand has big annual fairs for cars, for gifts, for manufacturing machinery, for books, for printing, ….but nothing for alternative energy.  Suggested name: Jing Jing Fair.  “Jing jing’ is the Thai phrase for ‘really!’ or ‘for sure’ – it’s spelt with the Thai ‘r’ like ‘jring,’ but the ‘r’ is silent.  The fair doesn’t need the word Thailand or Asia in the name, because that would limit its scope – and frankly, Asia is behind the leaders, as regards alternative energy innovations.  And that’s another reason for the fair: 

 

     Currently, Asian countries (India, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand and others) are looking longingly at nuclear power generators.  They need to see the out-dated folly of their ways.   Let’s hope they get smart before they get burned – and I mean that literally as well as figuratively.  Radiation sickness is physiologically burning – just ask the survivors of Hiroshima or Nagasaki.

 

 

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26. Dost Thou Protesteth Too Much?

 

 

       I witnessed my first successful protest when I was eight years old – at a military base in Virginia. There was a grammar school there.  One Sunday, the principal of the school invited all the children to bring their parents to an open-air hall for a fund raising auction.  The last item to be auctioned was the principal's own caged bird. 

 

     He introduced the item; "I caught this raptor on my farm in Tennessee four years ago. He's a great pet. Starting bid, $5."

 

     I was sitting next to Suki, a school mate, who was one year older. Suki immediately shouted, "Let it go!" 

 

     My strict 'obey you elders' upbringing coupled with extreme shyness, caused me to blush and feel embarrassed at my friend's brashness.

 

     The school principal, a respectable elder man, kindly gave several reasons why the bird should not be let out of the cage.

 

     "Let it go free!" Suki called out, louder than before.  Right away, voices called out to support her plea. There was no doubt about the sentiments of the community crowd in that room.

 

     Without another word, the schoolmaster slowly held the cage aloft and opened the little wire door.  The bird hesitated a moment, then hopped to the opening, sprung up and flew off – but not without first doing a swift circuit within the room.
A roar went up from the crowd.  Even the principal looked pleased.

 

     That was an inspiration for kid to witness.  It had a young person, who would ordinarily be disenfranchised from decision making, openly challenging an elder person of authority. That same authority could conceivably discipline her later, for insubordination.  The initial voice of protest had conviction – and Suki wasn't afraid to speak up a second time, and hold her ground, even when the authority figure publicly dismissed her concern. 

 

     The scene had the added dynamic of common citizens getting their concerns sparked.  They wound up raising their voices in support. Some of the others at the auction may have had thoughts of freeing the bird, but none were initially willing to express those sentiments out loud.  The adamant stand of one kid inspired most of the attendees to stand as one, and demand the bird be let free.

 

     Even then, the principal could have withdrawn the item and kept his caged bird, or he could have been adamant, and gone ahead to auction it off. 

 

   The other protest took place many years later in Thailand.  As happens with towns and cities in Thailand, places to dump garbage are getting scarce.  My adopted town of Chiang Rai was having that that issue.  Garbage trucks would sometimes be seen cruising back roads, their drivers trying to find a place dump their loads clandestinely.       Other times, the driver’s boss would find a landowner to accept a few hundred baht to allow garbage to get dumped on his property. 

 

     I had secured some property just NW of Chiang Rai - which was located a Km down a dirt road.  An absentee neighbor opposite my property had taken the garbage money.  Of course, no one else on the road had an inkling of the deal until long lines of garbage trucks suddenly showed up. To exacerbate the situation, it was the beginning of rainy season, so at any given time, several trucks were stuck in the mud, and blocking the narrow road.

 

     Right away, many of the residents formed a protest.  The parcels along that road were large, so there weren't many residents - perhaps 30 in all. One guy took his medium sized truck and positioned it sideways at the point where our road tee’d off from the highway - thereby blocking entry to the garbage trucks, which were then arriving every half minute or so. 

 

     I went to get my seven workers who were helping build a house - in order to add to the number of protesters.  When I returned to the corner, ten minutes later, the blocking truck had been moved, and the protesters were off to the side speaking with the boss of the garbage trucks. The trucks had resumed running down the dirt road unhindered.  I was annoyed that the protest had petered out so quickly. 

 

     I didn't speak Thai at the time (am still elementary level) but someone explained to me that the negotiations were aiming toward an agreement where the garbage trucks could continue for another two weeks. After that, the boss would see to it that gravel was applied to the worst affected parts of the road.

 

     Needless to say, the garbage trucks continued running the road for nearly a month, and just a small bit of gravel was applied.

 

     The lesson here is; "negotiate from strength."  When the protesting residents saw the big boss man arriving in his expensive vehicle, it was evident he was a power broker.  When the boss saw his trucks backed up, he immediately demanded the protestors withdraw - which they did.  The protestors weakened their position by removing the blocking truck and support people.

 

    If the protestors had more of the steadfast spirit of little Suki, the garbage boss would have had to do one of two things:  Either consider strong-arming the protestors out of the way (perhaps with his hired thugs or with police), or the boss would have had to negotiate with an empowered group.  As it was, the boss diluted the protestors’ strength right away, and therefore strengthened his own position. In that situation, the boss wanted, above else, to keep the trucks moving, so his operation would not lose any money.

 

     Not surprisingly, the above little stories apply to the current crossroads that Thailand is facing.  Will Thailand take the fork in the road that leads to nuclear power plants, or will it take the cleaner, safer, cheaper route toward reasonable power generation facilities.  If Thailand takes the reasonable route, it won’t happen without protests.  The ‘powers-that-be’ have shown themselves to be deeply entrenched in favor of nuclear. 

 

     For Thai people who love their country and have high hopes for their offspring – this is an important juncture.  The first thing Thais need to do is garner information.  The info is available, even for those without an internet connection.  They can get informed, not only on sensible alternatives to nuclear, but also to what nuclear power generation is about.  They can also hear what EGAT and its supporters have to say.

 

     The next thing needed, which is just as important, is to develop the conviction to do what’s right.  Much as the little girl, Suki, mentioned in the earlier paragraphs of this chapter, that conviction has to be strong enough for the individual to stand up to authority – and to maintain that stance for as long as it takes.  It won’t be easy, but significant achievements are rarely easy.  Let’s hope the path to getting reasonable power generation for Thailand won’t be blood-stained.  In other words, even with contentiousness - people with opposing views can discuss the issues in a civil manner in an open forum. 

 

     Probably the best scenario would be a popular vote on the topic – similar to the vote in 2007 on a new constitution for Thailand.  If the nuclear issue were up for a nationwide vote, it is hoped the opposing sides won’t resort to dirty tactics.  That’s a big ‘hope’ as anyone familiar with Thai politics knows how endemic vote-buying has become. 

 

     When I look at little children, I am reminded of the adage, “hope springs eternal.”  Regardless of how cynical older people become as the years roll by, their kids and grandkids pop out with a ‘clean slate,’ and it’s heartening to see.  It’s a bit like springbok (small African deer) in a field.  While the adults graze and peer warily to the bushes for danger – the juvenile springbok prance around with springs on their legs – as if bouncing on air. 

 

     As adults, it’s our responsibility to use our acquired education, wisdom and wariness – to set the stage for a reasonably safe and content life for our offspring.  In effect, we’re looking to the bushes for dangers, while our kids are frolicking around.  

Later, when we’re old or out of the way, it will be our grown up kids who take the responsible roles, and so on.  Let’s nip the menace of nuclear in the bud while we still can. If we hesitate, it will be too late.  It’s the least we can do for our kids and their kids.

 

     Does the name Jim Whittaker ring a bell?  He gained notoriety in the early 1950’s for being the first American to summit Mount Everest.  Years later, as head of a sports outfitting business called R.E.I. (Recreational Equipment Incorporated), he spearheaded an small environmental campaign.  At the time, his home and business were in Seattle, Washington state.  There was a nearby lake which, because of its nearness to the city, and its intrinsic beauty, had become popular with revelers.  Over the years, beer cans had been thrown in the lake and trash was strewn about (yes, it’s not only Thais who litter). 

 

     Mr. Whittaker organized a volunteer force of mostly young people – to go out to the site and devote a full day to cleaning up.  Most of the volunteers were combing the surrounding hills, picking up trash and setting up trash bins.  Jim donned scuba gear, grabbed a net, and went down repeatedly in to the lake to gather all sorts of garbage that had been thrown there over the years.  He was a middle aged man at the time, and could have easily found an excuse for opting out of such a yucky detail.  He didn’t gain anything monetarily from organizing the clean-up.  It wasn’t a personal or business promotion.  The main things he gained from that operation were possibly;

 

>>>>       the satisfaction of cleaning up a natural spot – and making it more pleasant for the next people.

 

>>>>   setting an example for future visitors to the lake - to be more responsible with their trash.

 

>>>>    inspiring some of the young people on the crew to do selfless acts of kindness in their daily lives – and perhaps instill a greater sense of appreciation for the great outdoors.

 

     For the average person, the easiest thing to do, if they see or hear about something like a trashed park, is to wave it away, and say something like, “Yes, some places are trashy, but that’s not my problem.  The people who throw trash should be taught a lesson, blah blah blah.” 

 

     Avoiding things which are ugly, smelly or uncomfortable is what  people do – along with explaining such things away, or figuring; ‘that’s someone else’s problem’ or ‘let the proper authorities deal with it.’  Rare people like Jim Whittaker are the exception, in that, when they see a problem, they’re not afraid to ‘think outside the box’ to come up with a solution.  Even better than conjuring a solution, is taking dynamic, non-confrontational action to effect positive change.

 

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27.  Corruption Hurts Ordinary Citizens

 

 

         Large scale solar is a competitive market.  That allows for open competition among many players and prices per Kw are falling month by month.  That’s a different picture than the nuclear power business, where just a few players are vying for multi-billion dollar contracts.  It’s easy to see how rife the nuclear scenario is for price-fixing and collusion between a very few companies.  Plus it’s an ideal scenario for back-alley pay-offs for officials involved with the bidding process – things that Thailand is world renown for.  It’s doubtful that a large contract has ever been transacted in Thailand’s recent history - without pay-off allegations. That would apply both to ‘in-house’ contracts (with Thai companies) and those with international involvement. 

 

EGAT wants to build four nuclear plants – which will entail the largest bunch of contracts ever awarded in Thailand.  No one familiar with business practices in Thailand can seriously perceive of such contracts being corruption-free.  Some people

may wonder, “so what’s the big deal if there are some under-the-table pay-offs?”  That question goes hand-in-hand with many peoples’ laissez-faire attitude that goes something like this; “There are billions of baht earmarked for these projects, so what’s the big deal if some government heavies, middle men, and some corporation bosses get pay-offs.”

 

Here are some reasons why under-the-table pay-offs hurt ordinary citizens:

 

>>>>>    Every baht that slips in to a VIP’s pocket, is a baht added to the cost of the project.  Thai municipal projects are ultimately paid for by Thai taxpayers.  Taxpayers pay even if there are outside loans (World Bank, etc) - though doesn’t apply if the funds come from grants or donations.

 

>>>>>     Pay-offs don’t increase the quality of the project – neither the construction, nor the expertise, nor whether the project will meet its deadlines.

 

>>>>>   Inspectors are and permit handlers are often easy to influence with sufficient pay-offs.  If inspection is lax, then the end-product suffer.  Example: After an earthquake in Taiwan, it was found that a large recently-built shopping mall had an inferior concrete foundation.  The building toppled – causing deaths and injuries.  Upon close inspection, it was plain that water-filled 5 gallon tins were placed within the foundation when the footings were poured – in order to save on concrete.   A few inspectors would have to be mighty brave to stand up to combined pressure from government and mega corporations – if there were a difference of opinion.  A few greased palms makes things go a lot smoother.

 

>>>>>    As for bidding on contracts: The best way is to have no collusion between bidding entities, no inside ‘secret’ information, and no spying.  Additionally, there should be no favoritism on the part of the powers awarding the contracts, no switching conditions in mid-stream, and no pay-offs.  To believe none of those things can happen in a big money bidding process in Thailand is to believe the moon is made of dehydrated yogurt.   To phrase it in a positive way:  Bidding should be fair, and untainted by inside information or pay-offs. 

 

>>>>>   All too often, the winning bidder will submit a cost figure or time schedule that they know is too low – in order to win the contract.  Then inevitable negotiations are added later on – to substantially increase payments and time frame.  Granted,

Big projects are tough to bid, but if a company submits a bid that they know is lower than their projected costs for labor and materials, then that gives that company an unfair advantage over other bidders.  By doing so, they can score the winning bid, yet they inevitably go to the bargaining table later on to increase the bid, sometimes by 200% or more.  The entity awarding the contract has little choice but to approve the large increase, because the work is partially finished and can’t be left undone.  This is yet another of the many opportunities that are rife for under-the-table pay-offs.

 

>>>>>    If the person or panel of people awarding the contract has any connection with any of the bidders, they should recuse (fancy word for excuse) themselves from making such decisions.  In reality, there are often connections between bidders and those awarding the contract.  If such connections (via friendships, business investments, extended family members, etc.) are not forthrightly mentio