Meta Data
Draft: 
No
Revision of previous policy?: 
No
Draft Year: 
2008
Effective Start Year: 
2009
Scope: 
National
Document Type: 
Overarching Policy
Economic Sector: 
Energy, Power, Transport
Energy Types: 
All, Power, Gas, Renewable, Bioenergy, Hydropower, Solar, Wind, Other
Issued by: 
The Royal Thai Government (RTG) - Prime Minister of Thailand
Overall Summary: 
The document is composed of Thailand's Energy Policy, delivered to the National Assembly on 30 December 2008 by Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva, Prime Minister of Thailand and Energy Strategy directed by Mr. Wannarat Channukul, Minister of Energy, on 12 January 2009. It addresses: Strategy 1: Energy Security; Strategy 2: Alternative Energy; Strategy 3: Supervise Energy Prices and Safety; Strategy 4: Energy Conservation and Efficiency; Strategy 5: Environmental Protection.---Note: PTT (PTT Public Company Limited) and PTTEP (PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited); E&P (Exploration and Production).
Access
Energy access action plan: 
[E]ncouraging competition and investment in energy business, including improvement of service quality and safety.
Efficiency
EE priorities: 
Encourage energy conservation and efficiency in the household, industrial, service and transportation sectors through campaigns fostering energy-saving discipline and conscience and promoting effective energy use [...].
EE targets: 
Accelerate the implementation of community-scale energy projects in an addition of 300 Tambon (subdistrict) Administration Organizations nationwide – [...] targeting to reduce the energy cost of each community by 15-20%. ---To increase the energy conservation target stipulated in the Energy Conservation Program to 20%, focusing on increasing energy-saving achievement in the industrial and transportation sectors. ---To forge ahead with the implementation of “11 Energy-Saving Measures for the People” to rapidly attain practical achievement and set an energy-saving target at 100,000 million Baht/year.---A target of energy credit provision is set to reach 60,000 million Baht/year, contributing to energy saving
EE standards for appliances: 
To announce the Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) of 15 electrical appliances by 2009.
EE building standards: 
Expedite the issuance of Ministerial Orders, particularly on the Building Energy Code and ISO - Energy.
EE financial incentives: 
[P]roviding incentives to induce private sector investment in opting for energy-saving appliances;---setting incentive measures for the household sector to reduce electricity consumption during the peak period; ---Devise incentives and provide privileges to induce investment in energy saving.
EE public awareness/promotional programmes: 
To provide the general public with better knowledge and understanding of new energy options. ---To establish one prototype of village/community-based energy source in each province, totaling 75 prototypes, within 2009, giving importance to the application of local culture to the fostering of economical and wise usage of energy in a community and to the increase in the economic value of the community. ---2 Organize campaigns to create energysaving conscience and provide knowledge about energy conservation. ---Accelerate the implementation of community-scale energy projects in an addition of 300 Tambon (subdistrict) Administration Organizations nationwide – to be a new channel focusing on grassroots participation in the thinking, planning, implementing and problem solving related to energy for the communities, targeting to reduce the energy cost of each community by 15-20%. ---To enhance Local Administration Organizations (LAOs) to be focal agencies in creating and disseminating “energysaving culture” via such target groups as children and juveniles, housewives and senior citizens under the “Community Energy Volunteers” mechanism. ---To attain participation of 100,000 households in the “Household Energy Credit” project, which will contribute to energy-saving at no less than 1,000 million Baht/year. ---To make “Thailand Energy Awards” recognized by general target groups.
Renewable Energy
RE priorities: 
[E]ncouraging electricity production from potential renewable energy, particularly from small or very small scale electricity generating projects, as well as studying the appropriateness of other alternative energy for electricity generation.---Set the policy on alternative energy as a national agenda by encouraging production and use of alternative energy, particularly bio-fuel and biomass, such as gasohol (E10, E20 and E85), bio-diesel, solid waste and animal manure, to enhance energy security, reduce pollution, and for the benefit of the farmers by encouraging production and use of renewable energy at the community level under appropriate incentive measures;---Support the establishment of ethanol production plants, which will enhance Thailand to become the “Ethanol Hub” for ethanol production and distribution in Asia.
RE targets: 
To replace oil consumption with the use of ethanol at no less than 1.4 million litres/day in 2009. ---To forge ahead with the materialization of the use of gasohol E85 and flexible fuel vehicles (FFV) in Thailand, with a promotional target of at least 2,000 FFV .---Promote wider use of E85 fuel, via supporting the set-up of E85 automobile manufacturing line in Thailand, with an initial target to have 1,000,000 E85 cars by 2018.
RE action plans: 
Establish as a “National Agenda” the production and utilization of ethanol and biodiesel, with a Road Map to provide clear implementation direction. ---Present the 15-year Renewable Energy Development Plan (REDP) to the NEPC/cabinet for approval to be used as the master plan for promotion and support of alternative energy in all forms. --- Develop an integrated Plan of Action to forge ahead with alternative energy development pursuant to the targets set forth in the 15-year REDP.
Biofuels obligation/mandate: 
Make the use of biodiesel B5 mandatory nationwide by 2011.
RE capital subsidy, grant, or rebate: 
Promote power generation from renewable energy in all forms, via provision of incentive measures, e.g. the current provision of “Adder” [an additional energy purchasing price on top of the normal prices that power producers will receive when selling electricity to the Power Utilities].
RE public awareness/promotional programmes: 
To provide the general public with better knowledge and understanding of new energy options. --- Establish and strengthen renewable energy networks through encouraging a participation process at the community, district and provincial levels in order to create energy security from the foundations.
Cooperation in RE: 
Develop relationship between biofuel producing and consuming countries in the form of “International Dialogue on Biofuels,” with Thailand acting as a major lead country.
Environment
Energy environmental priorities: 
Set the policy on alternative energy as a national agenda by encouraging production and use of alternative energy, particularly bio-fuel and biomass, such as gasohol (E10, E20 and E85), bio-diesel, solid waste and animal manure, to [...] reduce pollution.---Continuously promote the “community-scale biodiesel” project, emphasizing technology transfer and suitable technical management so as not to cause environmental impact on the communities. ---Encourage energy procurement and consumption which attach importance to the environment, with public participation, by setting relevant standards and promoting greater Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects to reduce social and environmental impact as well as greenhouse gas emission.
GHG emissions reduction targets: 
To enable Thailand to submit energy projects for certification under the CDM, at a total of one million tons CO2 per year.
Pollution control action plans: 
Encourage energy procurement and consumption which attach importance to the environment, with public participation, by setting relevant standards and promoting greater Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects to reduce social and environmental impact as well as greenhouse gas emission. --- Monitor environmental impact caused by energy production, conversion and utilization. ---To set a target together with a plan to boost the management of greenhouse gas emission rate in the energy sector. ---Select pilot power plants and conduct a study on the reduction of GHG emission from: 1) one natural gas-fired thermal power plant; 2) one coal-fired thermal power plant; and 3) one combined cycle power plant, and, devise a plan to reduce GHG emission in the energy industry, e.g. determination of the baseline, together with a clear response plan. --- Promote study and research on the carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology to compress and store carbon dioxide underground. ---Control and monitor the VOC (Volatile organic compound) emission standards from petrochemical and refining industries so as not to create environmental impact. ---Expand the implementation of the policy on vapor recovery unit from currently four provinces to cover an addition of seven provinces in areas where a large number of oil reserve depots are located. --- Prepare for consultations with refineries regarding the enforcement schedule of the EURO 4 standards.
Decarbonization strategy: 
Develop the “Green Home Concept” for “urban communities,” by developing technologies appropriate for urban communities, housing estates and condominiums.
Carbon markets: 
Promote the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) in the energy sector to reduce greenhouse gas emission. ---To enable Thailand to submit energy projects for certification under the CDM, at a total of one million tons CO2 per year.---To enhance Thailand to be a leading country in exporting carbon credits in Asia.
Gas flaring: 
Promote wider use of flare gas, e.g. as a substitute for LPG in the production process of community products or as fuel in community-scale power generation. --- Manage to keep the level of flare gas at the minimum, or prepare the announcement on “Zero Flare” policy, particularly for on-shore petroleum sites.
Pricing
Energy pricing: 
Supervise and maintain energy prices at appropriate, stable and affordable levels by setting an appropriate fuel price structure which supports the development of energy crops and which best reflects actual production cost; managing prices through the market mechanism and the Oil Fund to promote economical use of energy; and encouraging competition and investment in energy business, including improvement of service quality and safety. ---To attain fair/affordable domestic energy prices – the energy cost for Thai people must not be higher than that in neighboring countries
Energy Supply and Infrastructure
Infrastructure development priorities: 
Promote domestic production of crude oil and condensate and develop related infrastructure systems. Target: To be able to produce crude oil and condensate at more than 230,000 barrels/day in 2009 and 250,000 barrels/day in 2011. Implementation: Expedite and promote greater investment in exploration and production (E&P) of crude oil from domestic resources. --- Support the development of oil depot system and oil transportation pipelines so as to reduce the cost of oil distribution to various regions. ---To maintain the level of natural gas reserve (2P) that can be developed for domestic consumption for no less than 30 years. ---Follow up the progress of domestic natural gas fields presently under development, e.g. Plathong 2 and South Bongkot, to be able to supply to the system in 2011/2012. --- Conduct feasibility study on the development of other fuel options for power generation, e.g. nuclear, clean coal and oil shale.---To get prepared for scaling up petrochemical development together with biofuel development so as to create new industry of the country, e.g. the development of oleochemical industry.
Regional integration priorities: 
Speed up natural gas procurement to meet the domestic demand, especially the development of the 2nd natural gas resource in the Thailand - Malaysia Joint Development Area, i.e. JDA B17, to meet the schedule.
Trade
Energy trade priorities: 
Procure natural gas from both domestic and foreign resources to sufficiently meet the demand and develop related infrastructure systems. ---Initiate and speed up negotiation for natural gas supply from Natuna gas field in Indonesia. --- Explore energy resource overseas, emphasizing cooperation between the public sector and private Thai operators.---To pave the way for moving forward to investment in E&P of oil and natural gas resources in the Middle East, Africa, Asia Minor and the Pacific. ---Maintain good relationship with major oil and natural gas producing countries in the world market, such as UAE, Oman, Iran and Qatar, including Algeria and Egypt.---Expedite relationship establishment with South Africa, Angola and Kazakhstan – countries endowed with various energy resources, e.g. coal and uranium. ---Initiate aggressive marketing to induce neighboring countries as well as China, Japan and Korea, to seriously consider and increase ethanol use so as to expand ethanol export markets in the future.
Bi- and multi-lateral energy agreements: 
Develop relationship between biofuel producing and consuming countries in the form of “International Dialogue on Biofuels,” with Thailand acting as a major lead country.
Standard power production and purchasing agreements: 
Speed up natural gas procurement to meet the domestic demand, especially the development of the 2nd natural gas resource in the Thailand - Malaysia Joint Development Area, i.e. JDA B17, to meet the schedule. ---Speed up the signing of a Gas Sale Agreement for the purchase of natural gas from a new natural gas resource in Myanmar, i.e. M9 gas field, to enable the commencement of natural gas supply at 240 million cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) by 2011/2012. ---Import LNG to accommodate the demand of natural gas, starting in 2011/2012; in this respect, the signing of LNG sale agreements with foreign countries must be made and the construction of re-gasification facilities in Rayong province must be expedited. ---Initiate and speed up negotiation for natural gas supply from Natuna gas field in Indonesia. ---To enhance better bargaining power of Thailand in negotiating on power purchase from neighboring countries, by encouraging Thai entrepreneurs to enter into joint ventures on power projects. ---Policy towards neighboring countries: - Negotiate on the plan for power purchase from Lao PDR to suit with changing situations and costs; - Speed up the establishment of integrated relationship (“Energy Diplomacy”) with Indonesia.
Advance rulings: 
Forge ahead with the revision of regulations pertaining to ethanol export.
Investment
Energy sector investment priorities: 
Implementation: Expedite and promote greater investment in exploration and production (E&P) of crude oil from domestic resources. ---Encourage the PTT (PTT Public Company Limited) and PTTEP (PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited) to invest in the utilization of the deep-sea port in Ranong province as a supply base of petroleum E&P in the Gulf of Martaban.
Investment climate development: 
To create good environments for investment in energy business, with transparent competition and internationally accepted standards. ---[P]roviding incentives to induce private sector investment in opting for energy-saving appliances;
Public Private Partnerships: 
Explore energy resource overseas, emphasizing cooperation between the public sector and private Thai operators.
Overseas investment support: 
Stimulate the PTT and PTTEP to invest in overseas E&P of crude oil to be supplied back to Thailand, particularly from oil resources in strategic partner countries having good relationship with Thailand, such as Oman, Iran, Qatar, Bahrain, Algeria and Egypt. --- Explore energy resource overseas, emphasizing cooperation between the public sector and private Thai operators.
Governance
Energy management principles: 
Intensify energy development for greater self-reliance of the country with a view to achieving sufficient and stable energy supply by expediting exploration and development of energy resources at both domestic and international levels; negotiating with neighboring countries at the government level for joint development of energy resources; creating energy mix in power development to reduce risks pertaining to supply, price volatility and production cost; ---Develop the electricity supply industry to adequately meet the demand and promote diversification of fuel types. ---To maintain the share of power generation of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) at more than 50% of the total generating capacity of the country.---To impose a cap on dependency on natural gas for power generation, not to exceed 70%. ---Carry out public information activities and disseminate clear and correct information to the general public, giving importance to educating the young generation about the benefits, advantages and disadvantages of nuclear power, coal and oil shale. ---Promote and strengthen the development of energy industry as well as downstream industry. ---Devise a plan for energy emergency preparedness. ---[E]ncouraging competition and investment in energy business, including improvement of service quality and safety. ---Accelerate capacity building of Provincial Energy Offices (PEOs) to enhance efficiency of their duty execution, particularly the protection of energy consumers’ benefit.---Upgrade the Regional Energy Coordination Offices of PEOs to be Regional Energy Learning Centers in order to create knowledge and understanding of the government’s energy policy. --- To develop safety standards of energy business operation which are suitable for Thailand, and disseminate the standards to provincial areas and local administration organizations.
National policy structure: 
To have Thailand Power Development Plan (PDP) correspond with economic and social situations, with a reserve margin at approximately 15-20%.
Energy institutional structures: 
Designate an agency in the form of an “Investor Relation Office” to be exclusively responsible for procedures and process of investment in energy industry.
Technology
Clean energy technology priorities: 
[S]tudying the appropriateness of other alternative energy for electricity generation.---Undertake detailed feasibility study on the development of nuclear power plants, using relevant IAEA guidelines as the implementation framework. ---Carry out public information activities and disseminate clear and correct information to the general public, giving importance to educating the young generation about the benefits, advantages and disadvantages of nuclear power, coal and oil shale. ---[C]ontinuously promoting research and development of all forms of alternative energy. ---Develop the “Green Home Concept” for “urban communities,” by developing technologies appropriate for urban communities, housing estates and condominiums. ---Promote “Appropriate Technology” that suits the way of living of people, particularly those in rural communities, so that the acquired technology could be practically applied to solve energy problems in each locality [...].
Clean energy technology transfer: 
Continuously promote the “community-scale biodiesel” project, emphasizing technology transfer and suitable technical management so as not to cause environmental impact on the communities.
Clean energy technology deployment: 
Get prepared for presentation to the government to make a policy decision regarding nuclear power development, emphasizing the outcome of in-depth study on the economic cost-effectiveness and public acceptance. ---Promote the conversion of plastic waste into crude oil, in a way similar to the “Adder” provision, by using the Oil Fund to provide support for the cost incurred from Adder provision to oil refineries that purchase oil derived from plastic waste to be further processed. ---To establish an energy technique development institute, including procurement of testing equipment.---To create low cost “Appropriate Technology” innovations, which are environmentally friendly and easy for O&M (Operations & Maintenance), at least five innovations per year, with support from the Energy Conservation Promotion Fund.
Advanced fuel extraction technology: 
Expeditiously promote expansion of oil palm plantations together with development of oil palm species/varieties and yield per rai [0.16 hectare].
Natural gas transportation technology: 
[E]ncouraging greater use of natural gas in the transportation sector by expanding natural gas transportation system nationwide.---Forge full steam ahead and continuously with the application of NGV to public fleets, focusing on taxis, tuk-tuks (motored tricycles), public and private buses, and trucks. Prepare for NGV price review, taking into consideration the actual costs and overall economic situations of the country. ---Plan out the expansion of natural gas transmission pipeline system to be the backbone of NGV growth.
R&D renewable energy: 
To develop and integrate the plans for R&D on alternative energy of concerned agencies to enhance the capability to respond to the approach for renewable energy. z Support R&D necessary for the development of alternative energy, especially R&D on energy from plants, in terms of both the 2nd Generation Biofuels and equipment for generating energy from biomass and biogas. R&D on modification of old-modeled cars to be able to use gasohol E20 and E85. R&D on car engines to be applicable to biodiesel B10. Support research on advanced technologies, e.g. hydrogen and solar cells.
R&D energy efficiency: 
supporting research and development and standard setting for electrical appliances and energy-saving buildings; ---To have in place an Integrated Resources Planning with regard to energy conservation R&D.
R&D pollution abatement: 
Select pilot power plants and conduct a study on the reduction of GHG emission from: 1) one natural gas-fired thermal power plant; 2) one coal-fired thermal power plant; and 3) one combined cycle power plant, and, devise a plan to reduce GHG emission in the energy industry, e.g. determination of the baseline, together with a clear response plan. ---Conduct a feasibility study on CCS technology application in Thailand, together with the development of a pilot project for actual operation trial.
Technology collaboration with other member States: 
Strengthen relationship with strategic partner countries in the field of alternative energy and countries with advanced energy technologies, e.g. Brazil, Germany, France, Japan and South Korea;