As temperatures in Thailand top 50 degrees Celsius, power costs slashed to beat the heat
- Humidity, wind and other factors recently pushed the heat index to a record of over 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) in Thailand
- Electricity demand in the country hit the highest level ever last week, regulators said, as households and businesses fired up their air conditioners
April is traditionally hot in the Southeast Asian country, but it has been stifling for weeks this year, with temperatures earlier this month touching 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit).
Record heat is also causing power bills to balloon, squeezing household incomes and pushing energy prices to the top of the electoral agenda. Electricity demand hit the highest level ever on Friday as households and businesses fired up air conditioners, the country’s energy regulator said on Monday.
“We are in the peak of summer season when power demand is normally at its high,” said Deputy Governor Prasertsak Cherngchawano of the state-owned power utility. “We expect demand to remain high this month through May.”
Retail power rates will be cut from May 1. On Tuesday, the cabinet also approved a plan to subsidise electricity costs for about 23 million households for the next four months at a cost of 11.1 billion baht (US$322.5 million), government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said.
Thailand issues extreme heat warnings amid record-breaking temperatures
With consumers complaining of high electricity bills after last year’s energy crisis, political parties in Thailand have stepped up, calling for moves to ease costs. The Pheu Thai party – the principal opposition party, leading in opinion polls – says it will immediately cut rates if it wins the May 14 election.
Helping Thais cope with soaring living costs is a common refrain among political parties vying for power in the election after inflation climbed to a 14-year high in 2022. Pheu Thai has built its campaign around measures to boost household incomes and has proposed a digital wallet that will give 10,000 baht (US$291) to every Thai aged 16 and up.
The electricity regulator on Monday agreed to lower the retail power tariff to 4.70 baht per unit during the May-August period, down from an earlier proposal to keep the rate at 4.77 baht.
Thai household power rates jumped last year due to higher fuel import costs. Industrial and commercial consumers are charged at a higher rate in order for the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand to recoup some of the losses it incurred while selling power below the cost of production.