Ministry promotes quartz industry
The Industry Ministry is pushing for the development of quartz mining, as this mineral is an important raw material for the production of solar panels. According to the ministry’s Department of Primary Industries and Mines, the Kingdom has reserves of 25 million tonnes of high-quality quartz that could be used to manufacture about 6 million tonnes of solar-cell-grade silicon, which in turn could generate 1 million megawatts of electricity, or 24 times Thailand’s peak power demand recorded this year. The mineral could create no less than Bt3.6 trillion in income for the country, exclusive of related high-tech industries that could be developed concurrently, said the department’s deputy director-general Somboon Yindeeyoungyuen. “We’re confident that if an integrated solar-power industry is developed from our indigenous quartz resources, it will generate enormous revenue for the country as well as bringing down the cost of solar power, making it competitive with other choices of energy. And Thailand will become the largest hub of silicon [solar-cell-grade] silicon and solar panels in ASEAN,” he said.
