TGO, EGAT, and partners present first Premium T-VER model of forest sector in Thailand
21 September 2023TGO presented Right Mae Ngao Reserved Forest, a watershed in Lampang Province, which is the first model of Premium T-VER of the forest sector certified with international carbon credit standards, placing importance on sustainability, human – nature co-existence, life quality improvement, and forest conservation awareness cultivation.
On September 19, 2023, Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organization (Public Organization) (TGO), Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), Royal Forest Department, and Kasetsart University (KU) organized a seminar on Premium T-VER project development guideline and presented an area of watershed reforestation, namely Right Mae Ngao National Reserved Forest, under EGAT Participatory Reforestation Project, which is a model of Premium T-VER of the forest sector. It is the first project in Thailand applying for the registration. On this occasion, Mr. Kiatchai Maitriwong, TGO Executive Director, presided over the seminar in which Dr. Puttipar Rotkittikhun, Director of Carbon Credit Certification Office, Mr. Chaiwut Lakmuang, EGAT Assistant Governor – Sustainability Management, and Asst. Prof. Dr. Sapit Diloksumpun, Deputy Dean on Research and Academic Service, Faculty of Forestry of KU, also joined at TGO, Bangkok.
TGO Executive Director said that due to the increasingly severe climate conditions, carbon market is a vital driver for reducing and mitigating impacts of the climate change. International communities require high-quality carbon credit in response to the greenhouse gas emissions reduction target according to the Paris Agreement. Therefore, TGO has collaborated with EGAT, Royal Forest Department, and TU to organize the project “Model Development of Premium T-VER for the Forest Sector.” The Right Mae Ngao National Reserved Forestin Lampang Province, under EGAT Participatory Reforestation Project, has been selected to test the regulations for voluntary greenhouse gas emissions reductions in the forest sector and calculation tools to apply the result for a future expansion.
EGAT Assistant Governor – Sustainability Management, revealed that EGAT has participated in T-VER project since 2014 through 10 projects of Renewable Energy Development and Energy Efficiency Improvement in EGAT Power Plants and Areas with a total of 410,746 tCO2eq. Moreover, EGAT carries out its operation to achieve the goals of EGAT Carbon Neutrality by 2050 and Thailand Carbon Neutrality in accordance with the National Energy Plan and aims to increase forest areas of one million rai. Currently, one hundred thousand rai of reforestation is implemented nationwide. To develop the model for carbon credit in the forest sector, EGAT therefore proposed the project for registration from T-VER to Premium T-VER, equivalent to international carbon credit standards for the forest sector, which is the first project in Thailand. The project was implemented under the collaboration of partners that selected the area to be the pilot project of the first Premium T-VER of the country.
As T-VER is Thailand Voluntary Emission Reduction Program in line with Thai standards promoting the participatory national greenhouse gas emissions reduction including reforestation, the participant will select an area for planting trees with tree rings. The TGO will register and certify the number of greenhouse gas reduced or stored to be “carbon credit” which can be reported as an offset of greenhouse gas emissions of the organization. The Premium T-VER Project has more requirements such as the priority on sustainability and human-forest coexistence, public hearing before starting the project, risk evaluation of carbon loss from project impermanency, and carbon credit market expansion to an international level. The initiatives comply with the concept of EGAT Participatory Reforestation Project that ensures the local participation by providing forest planting and nurturing jobs to the locals for ten years to generate income, raise the quality of life, cultivate forest conservation awareness, and ensure the survival rate of planted trees, sustainably.
Currently, there are 14 projects requesting for Premium T-VER registration. EGAT Participatory Reforestation Project is the first project certified with participation process and verifications of baseline and validation for registering as Premium T-VER.