Loei tourist district gets a safety makeover

Electrical eyesores going underground in Chiang Khan, home to many old wooden houses

LOEI — The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) in this northeastern province is preparing to relocate electric transformers underground in touristy Chiang Khan district to prevent fires in the community where many wooden houses are over a century old.

Moving transformers from concrete power poles will also provide more stable electrical supply and make the landscape neater with power cables no longer visible, said Komkrit Siriyutthaseanyakorn, head of the local office of the Department of Public Works and Town and Country Planning.

Located next to the Mekong River, Chiang Khan draws 4-5 million visitors a year, earning more than a billion baht in tourism-related revenue.

The PEA has conducted a survey and prepared designs for the underground transformers along the Chiang Khan Walking Street, said Praphan Srinuan, deputy governor of the Council of Engineers Thailand.

The Asean Federation of Engineering Organisations and the Engineering Institute of Thailand have proposed making Chiang Khan the first smart city for low-carbon underground transformers, he added.

The PEA will use a transformer model designed by Chulalongkorn University, said Siriwit Pornpanwatcharadech, deputy director of the transmission system design division at the state utility.

With the risk of fires destroying the wooden houses minimised, safety for residents, tourists and PEA staff will be almost guaranteed, he said.

This in turn will spur local tourism and business activity, cut carbon emissions and increase usable green space, he added.

Sombat Vanichprapa, a consultant to the Chula Smart City project, said the move to put transformers and power cables underground was successful in the Siam Square area, helping make Bangkok’s city centre a tourist favourite and providing safety for pedestrians.

The underground transformer model, using a low-carbon submersible transformer, was recognised at the 2023 Thailand Energy Awards and the 2023 Asean Energy Awards.