Khon Kaen – Banpu NEXT, a subsidiary of Banpu Public Company Limited, is joining forces with Khon Kaen City Development Network to help advance smart city development in the province by signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for Khon Kaen Smart City Development. Under this MoU, Banpu NEXT will join a feasibility study on Khon Kaen’s adoption of clean energy technology to boost clean energy usage in response to Energy 4.0 policy and Khon Kaen Smart City 2029 master plan. This new move will contribute to better energy efficiency and sustainability, positively create long-term impacts on the environment, and pave way for a better quality of life of Khon Kaen residents.

 

      Mrs. Somruedee Chaimongkol, Chief Executive Officer of Banpu PCL. and Banpu NEXT Co., Ltd., said, “Banpu NEXT is a leading smart clean energy solution provider in Asia-Pacific that operates under BANPU’s Greener & Smarter strategy. We meet the needs of all sectors through energy technology innovations, expertise and solutions for sustainable betterment of life. In our latest move we are joining hands with Khon Kaen City Development Network to conduct a feasibility study on building a well-developed ecosystem of clean energy in the city. The areas of study spans across installation of solar power system and smart electricity transmission, use of energy storage system to increase the capability of power supply, development of smart transportation and alternative mobility systems to support extended development of the light rail system, and introduction of other modern energy technologies to Khon Kaen to support smart environment creation and promote tangible use of clean energy, which will bring a better quality of life to Khon Kaen residents and help drive forward the province’s smart city development plan.”

 

      “Banpu NEXT has smart city developments currently in process in numerous locations,” she continued. “We also offer a complete range of clean energy solutions, both hardware and software, with customizable design to meet specific needs of each site. Moreover, our energy management system integrates Internet of Things (IoT) technology to enable efficient control and management of devices, resulting in the ability to gather, analyze and process clean energy usage data precisely and perform system monitoring and report any on-site issues in real time for effective planning, failure prevention and optimum system performance. With our expertise and solutions, we are well-equipped to meet city development needs of Khon Kaen in the most efficient, cost-effective and practical way, ready to support the rise of Khon Kaen as the model city for full deployment of energy technology.”

 

 

      Mr Kamolpong Sanguantrakul, Chairman of Khon Kaen Chamber of Commerce, revealed, “Khon Kaen Chamber of Commerce plays a key role to drive Khon Kaen’s smart city development in alignment with Thailand 4.0 economic model. The key to successful smart city development is to be open to all stakeholders by including public and private sectors as well as local people in the process to ensure sustainable outcomes. There are altogether six major areas of development under our master plan: Smart Mobility, Smart Living, Smart Citizen, Smart Environment, Smart Economy and Smart Governance. Our chamber of commerce liaises between all stakeholders to keep overall development of the city on path according to the master plan. We also put a special emphasis on building physical and IoT infrastructure that are agreeable to local ways of life, as well as adoption of modern technology in infrastructure and transportation development for greater convenience of the residents. Importantly, clean energy and modern energy technologies will be introduced to Khon Kaen in a tangible way.”

 

      Mr Songsak Thongthai, Chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) – Khon Kaen Chapter, added, “Thailand is seeing a strong uptrend in clean energy adoption as it begins to climb up the priority pyramid of all sectors, resulting in greater popularity of wind energy, refuse-derived fuel and especially solar energy because Thailand is sunny all year round. Our Network is therefore exploring the opportunity to include clean energy as part of our smart city development. Banpu NEXT emerges as a promising partner for us, being a leading company with longstanding experiences in area of clean energy both in Thailand and the region. Moreover, it offers a complete range of energy technologies and solutions, which will enable different application to suit different parts of Khon Kaen. FTI Khon Kaen Chapter will actively build awareness of this partnership and promote clean energy education among our members and local residents. This will provide a guideline for all of them to move forward together in the same direction. We believe that any development progress from this partnership, such as installation of solar power system or smart ecosystem, will improve environmental conditions and well-being of the people and contribute to creation of a smart environment with sustainable use of energy.”

 

      Mr Suradech Taweesaengsakulthai, CEO and co-founder of Khon Kaen City Development (KKTT) Company Limited, commented, “KKTT is a company founded by Khon Kaen-born businesspeople with key objectives to drive forward academically sound development of Khon Kaen and help improve the quality of life of its residents. As part of the Network who actively contributes to Khon Kaen city development, we are pleased to partner with Banpu NEXT, a leading smart clean energy solution provider in Asia-Pacific. We believe that this partnership will bring important milestones to our smart city development because clean energy technology is a key mechanism that will bring efficient, complete and sustainable development to the city. At the same time, it will heighten public awareness about the importance of clean energy and encourage more adoption among all sectors and local people. This will engage them in a joint effort to achieve efficient energy management, reduce pollutions and save energy costs of the province. As a result, local people will enjoy a better quality of life while extra economic value will also be added to the province, making it a more attractive destination for investors in the future.”

 

      “Banpu NEXT will start to work closely with the Network, FTI Khon Kaen Chapter and all related agencies. In a meeting with FTI Khon Kaen Chapter, we will discuss plans to install solar rooftop system at medium and large-size hotels and factories,” Mrs. Somruedee concluded.