Renewables expansion facing fresh challenges

Caretaker prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s decision to dissolve the House adds challenges to the state push for a transition to clean energy in 2026.

- YUTHANA PRAIWAN

Gunkul Engineering's wind farm in Sikhiu district, Nakhon Ratchasima. The company says expanding renewable supply could help drive economic growth.

The caretaker premier announced in late September Thailand would make more serious efforts to achieve a net-zero target, a balance between carbon dioxide emissions and absorption, by 2050, 15 years earlier than previously planned.

The pledge requires actions that must begin as soon as possible, but Thailand has yet to have a new power development plan (PDP) that will map out what the country must do over the next decade to pave the way for the net-zero strategy.

Businesses are eager to know how much renewable power will be increased to gradually make Thailand a low-carbon society and how the clean energy supply will be sufficient to serve the growing demand of investors, particularly those in the data centre and cloud service businesses.

Despite a political vacuum during which Thailand has only a caretaker government with limited power to drive the country, businesses remain hopeful the new PDP will not face further delay.

“We hope the plan will be successfully launched,” said Natee Sithiprassasana, chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries’ Renewable Energy Industry Club.

He is among business leaders who believe the ongoing work to draft the PDP should be finished, leading to enforcement in early 2026.

This is because Thailand has been using the 2018 PDP for too long without new power supply management that better fits changes in economic conditions, said Mr Natee.

A new PDP is also crucial for the country to maintain competitiveness in drawing foreign investors who demand more clean power to operate their businesses.