A study of CO2 Emission Sources and Sinks in Thailand

Abstract

In accordance with the significance of international agreements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Thailand has undertaken to reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 20 - 25% of the current annual average by 2030. Available data in Thailand indicates a baseline rate of average CO2 emissions of about 300 Mton/year. In this study, we make a quantitative estimation of CO2 emissions in Thailand from a 2015 updating of secondary data collected from biomass and fossil fuel power plants. In addition, this study proposes the creation of CO2 sinks through the geological storage of CO2, known as carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology. The results show that the total CO2 emissions from biomass and fossil fuel power plants are about 1.134 Mton and 105 Mton, respectively. The figures for total amounts of CO2 in onshore and offshore sinks were converted from data in the Department of Mineral Fuel’s (DMF) annual report of 2015.These figures are about 165.12 Mton and 2,120 Mton, respectively. Available sedimentation basins both onshore and offshore are selected and suggested as suitable areas for CO2 storage based on the matching of suitable CO2 sources and CO2 sinks. Following COP21, CO2 disposal management and the rapid reduction of CO2 emissions are recognized as having significant impacts on climate change, especially for ensuring that the average global temperature does not increase by more than 2˚ C.