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Banpu Public Co. Ltd.

Company Background

Banpu is one of the largest coal miners in Southeast Asia. It owns stakes in more than 20 coal assets around the world, including Indonesia, Australia, Mongolia and China. Its coal mining operations in Thailand have been closed due to depletion. It has diversified into coal-fired power generation since 1993 and operates power plants in and outside of Thailand. It is expecting to start operations of the Hongsa power plant in Laos in 2015, through a joint venture with independent power producer Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding and Lao Holding State Enterprise.

CEO Chanin Vongkusolkit founded Banpu in 1983 as a coal-mining venture in Thailand with the Auapinyakul family. Chanin is the youngest son of the Vongkusolkit family that runs Thailand's largest sugar producer, Mitr Phol Sugar. He decided to start a different business of his own. Banpu was listed on the Thai bourse in 1989. Mitr Phol is its second-largest shareholder with a more than 5% stake.

Banpu controls a roughly 15% stake in Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding, which was spun off from state-owned electricity giant Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand.

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