EGAT has opened a tender for the development of a 205 MW DC/158 MW AC floating solar project
It will be located on the Bhumibol Dam reservoir in Thailand’s Tak Province
The project is scheduled to enter commercial operations within 2027
The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) has invited bids to develop a floating solar PV project with over 205 MW DC/158 MW AC installed capacity. It will be located on the Bhumibol Dam in Tak Province.
Interested bidders will install the Bhumibol Dam Floating Solar Project 1 on the dam’s reservoir in Sam Ngao District with an anchoring and mooring system, a 33 kV electrical system and transmission lines, among other components.
The broad scope of work includes design, procurement, construction, installation, commissioning, on-site training and civil work for the project. It is scheduled to start commercial operations within 2027.
Launched on March 20, 2025, the call specifies July 14, 2025 as the last date for bid submission.
EGAT says it plans to incorporate this project into the country’s Power Development Plan 2018-2037 Revision 1 or PDP2018 Revision 1. Under the PDP2018, This plan targeted 77.21 GW of total electricity capacity goal with renewables contributing 20% share (see Thai Cabinet Approves 77 GW Power Capacity Goal).
Installing floating solar panels on the water surface of dams serves dual benefits of stopping water evaporation and lowering the generation cost as these use the existing transmission equipment used by hydropower dams.
EGAT plans to install over 2.7 GW of floating solar PV projects on 9 of its hydroelectric dam reservoirs by 2037 to increase the share of clean energy in its portfolio, and contribute to the PDP (see Thailand Plans World’s Largest Floating PV Capacity).
The US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) pegs the technical potential of floating PV across ASEAN Nations at 825 GW as the region hosts 88 reservoirs and 7,213 natural water bodies, including Thailand (see Floating Solar Prospects In Southeast Asia).