Clean energy dearth dents foreign interest

Data centre firms want green power

- YUTHANA PRAIWAN

Ongoing political instability may slow Thai economic growth, but a larger hindrance is in the energy sector, as Thailand risks losing 1 trillion baht in foreign investment opportunities if the government does not step up efforts to facilitate renewable power usage, according to Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI).

Many foreign companies, especially those in data centre and cloud service businesses, are waiting for authorities to allow peer-to-peer power trade, eager to know how clean electricity will be bought and sold under a new law.

Companies are still prohibited from buying renewable power directly from producers, but foreign investors want the government to adjust this outdated regulation.