Auttapol Rerkpiboon, Thailand’s Minister of Energy, has unveiled a slate of major initiatives to be undertaken over the next four months, underscoring the government’s commitment to the Ministry of Finance’s ‘Quick Big Win’ policy—an agenda focused on delivering rapid, impactful progress in revenue generation and energy cost reduction.
Key measures in the People’s Solar Projects, which are designed to bolster household income and cut energy expenses includes:
- The launch of Community Solar Farms with a combined capacity of 1,500 megawatts, spanning more than 300 communities across the country or approximately 15,000 households.
- Nationwide deployment of Solar-Powered Water Pumping for Agriculture, targeting 1,200 individual projects and covering over 700,000 rai of agricultural land.
- Fast-tracking tax incentives for residential solar adoption, permitting households to deduct up to THB 200,000—an initiative aimed at supporting 90,000 homes to embrace solar energy.
- Accelerated approval for floating solar power projects at three main EGAT dams—Bhumibol, Vajiralongkorn, and Srinagarind—delivering over 1,638 megawatts of new capacity.
On the industrial front, the Ministry is advancing critical infrastructure improvements as follows:
- Introduction of Direct Power Purchase Agreements (Direct PPA) totaling 2,000 megawatts, facilitating direct transactions between clean energy producers and end-users. This supports the nation’s competitiveness and the growth of future industries, with a particular focus on solutions for data centers.
- Electrical infrastructure upgrades to meet the needs of industries in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), combining generation enhancements and transmission improvements within the current budget framework.
- Driving higher energy efficiency in the industrial sector through campaigns promoting the Energy Conservation and Promotion Fund, with outreach programs targeting factories nationwide.
For long-term sustainability, the Ministry is intensifying climate efforts to achieve Net Zero emissions by 2050. The People’s Solar Projects alone are expected to cut carbon dioxide emissions by more than 3.6 million tons annually. Meanwhile, an expedited review and overhaul of the Power Development Plan (PDP) is underway to ensure alignment with the Net Zero 2050 agenda, targeted for completion in the next four months.
A flagship project on the horizon is the ambitious Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) initiative in the Gulf of Thailand. With a potential storage volume exceeding 7 billion tons of CO2, this project will require investments worth hundreds of billions of baht and is expected to span a decade. Exploration is already underway in cooperation with Japanese partners, although regulatory frameworks for offshore surveys are yet to be finalized, the ministry remains determined to advance this effort.
