Your Excellency. Air Vice Marshal Kamthon Sindhavananda, Privy Councilor,

Your Excellency, Viset Choopiban, Minister of Energy,

Your Excellency, General Sanan Kajornprasart, former Deputy Prime Minister,

Mr. Kraisi Karnasuta, Governor of EGAT,

Mr. Pinit Pitchayakan, Governor of Pichit Province,

Mr. Thongkhum Saengchan, President of Tambon Horkrai Administrative Organization,

Your Royal Highness, Prince Moulay Ismail,
Distinguished guests:

 It is my pleasure to welcome you today to the inauguration of the Pichit Power Plant, operated by AT Biopower, under the able direction of M.L. Chanaphun Kridakorn.  This plant is the product of a sustained effort among many partners: the Chubu Electric Power C ompany of Japan, FinnFund and PEMF of Finland, Flagship Asia of Thailand, and my own company, Al Tayyar Energy, headquartered in Abu Dhabi.    Together we have brought this Pichit plant into operation as one of the biggest rice-husk renewable energy plants in the world.  I would like to thank Mizuno-san and Hattori-san, of Chubu Japan, Mr. Jaakko Kangasniemi and Ms. Helena Korhonen of Finn Fund, and Ms. Riikka Talvitie of PEMF, who have come so far to be with us today. 

We can all take pride in this achievement.  I know that, for me, bringing this plant online, helps to realize a vision which first germinated in discussions with my colleague, John Saad, in 1998. In our offices in Abu Dhabi, which has been a welcoming base for such creative explorations, we talked about how we might address the explosive demand for new sources of energy production, through enterprises that were both economically viable and environmentally sensible.  Sadly, John died before he could see his ideas come to fruition.  In 1999, I went to work with my colleague, Dr. Pete Smith, whose tireless passion for our mission you all know.

We explored wind, solar and hydroelectric possibilities throughout the world, traveling to many communities on many continents.  When we were looking at the potential for biomass and bioenergy in Asia  Dr. Phil La Rocco of E + Co  helped identify this project    With a partnership in place, and our friends Richard Pinnock and Peter Heinzelman of Electrowatt-Ekono as a contractor, this plant was built. 

Of course, this plant would not have been possible without the assistance and cooperation of the Thai government, especially, the Ministries of Energy and the Environment, and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand.   The Sub-district Administrative Organization of Tambon Horkrai has also greatly facilitated our work.  And we cannot forget the work of Ms. Abu Jbara, who keeps Al Tayyar Energy running smoothly, and efficiently coordinates the many participants in our project.

For us, the Pichit plant project is both the culmination of a vision, and an inspiration for further work.  Today, ATE is a growing network of alliances–project identification missions, development plans, equity partnerships –designed to meet the world’s growing energy needs.  Pichit is the finest achievement in the first phase of our company’s mission.  We have two other rice-husk power plants in Thailand, set for construction in the near future.    We have other biomass projects in development in Sri Lanka and India.  We built and are operating a plant in the Khorat province that is the biggest in-ground biogas plant in Asia, if not the world, and we have three other biogas plants under construction across Thailand.  We are working to replicate these models throughout South East Asia.

In the developed world, with its cornucopia of energy choices, these kinds of energy solutions may be ecologically attractive options; in the developing world, where energy choices are fewer and more burdensome, these alternatives are creative and effective responses to an urgent need.  The growing uncertainty regarding oil prices only highlights this need.  Al Tayyar is proud, with its partners, to be bringing to the region affordable models of sustainable energy production.

Finally, our ceremony today would not be complete without acknowledging our respect and admiration for, and gratitude to, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej.  As we approach the sixtieth anniversary of his accession to the throne, he with us today in our thoughts and hearts.  The entire world recognizes that His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej has been a force for stability and progress, revered by the Thai people, and respected by the international community.

 On a personal note, as a student of politics, and a participant in the growing pains associated with the political and social transformation of a rural country into a modern democracy, I have always been fascinated and inspired by the trajectory of Thailand under the reign of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej.  Declaring democracy does not make it happen; it must be nurtured and grown in the fertile soil of each culture.  In an exemplary and unique way, His Majesty has shown us that traditional institutions, like the monarchy, as symbols of national integration and unity, can restrain conflict and foster moderation, while facilitating progressive change and modernization.  An anchor of social stability and a symbol of the nation’s cultural heritage, His Majesty has had the wisdom and grace to guide the country through moments of crisis while respecting and reinforcing the norms of a democratic and constitutional order. While his reign has spanned most of the twentieth-century, it demonstrates, for the twenty-first, that strength of leadership flows from moral authority, not executive power.

 Thus, I am sure I can speak for all my partners in saying that we are proud and honored to have been able to bring this project into the modern Thai nation that His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej has made possible.  We are also aware of His Majesty’s own interests in agricultural research, and his continuing concern for the social and environmental conditions of his people. Indeed, later today, Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, will present His Majesty with the United Nations Development Program’s Human Development Lifetime Achievement Award, in recognition of the thousands of innovative agricultural, environmental, health and education programs that His Majesty has initiated throughout Thailand. As we stand here, in the shadow of his achievements, we hope that our project will contribute, in his spirit, to the continued prosperity and advancement of the Thai nation and people.

 I know many of you have traveled a long way to be with us today.  Thank you all for sharing this proud moment with us.