Energy Plan 2026 Looks Good but Lacks Detail, Critics Say
The government's draft 2026 energy plan promises stable electricity prices and net-zero goals but lacks transparency on costs and proposes excessive power capacity that critics say doesn't match actual demand forecasts.
Trirat Sirijantaropass, energy economics lead for the Democratic Party and advisor to the parliamentary energy committee, has criticized the government's draft Power Development Plan 2026, saying it looks good externally but is filled with ambiguity and lacks genuine commitment to the public. On September 8, the Office of Energy Policy and Planning under the Energy Ministry unveiled the draft PDP 2026, a key framework for determining future power plant development and calculating electricity rates citizens will pay through 2050.
The plan's main pillars are reducing global warming, achieving Net Zero, ensuring reliable electricity, and fair pricing—goals most agree with in principle. Four scenarios were presented with varying combinations of renewable and fossil fuel generation, all claiming retail electricity prices between 3.82 and 3.88 baht per unit. However, the planned capacity ranges dramatically from 185,700 megawatts to 253,100 megawatts by plan's end, while actual 2050 demand is forecast at only 79,696 megawatts, meaning excess capacity of 106,000 to 173,000 megawatts.
Trirat questions how electricity prices can remain stable with such vast oversupply and notes the draft fails to disclose the levelized cost of energy for each fuel type, leaving the public with an attractive-sounding plan but insufficient data to assess feasibility. He argues that if green, stable electricity is truly achievable at the stated price, someone must absorb the costs—likely lower-income residents who cannot afford rooftop solar or live in apartments. As more people generate their own power, those unable to do so will bear the full burden of expensive peak-hour rates, since state utilities cannot operate at a loss.
