Ekniti eyes 1.5 million solar rooftop households

Khaosod•Economy•12d ago

Reader Briefing

Deputy Prime Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas announces plans to support solar rooftop installations for up to 1.5 million households to transition energy and reduce costs.

•The Ministry of Interior will request funds from the Ministry of Finance on September 11 or early next week.
•The project initially targets 1 million households with 50,000 baht each, totaling 50 billion baht, but may expand to 1.5 million households.
•The project is expected to start in mid-October and run until the end of 2027.
•The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) will implement smart meters and smart grids to allow citizens to sell power back.

Overview

•Ekniti Nitithanprapas cited conflicts in the Middle East causing higher energy import prices and electricity costs as the reason for accelerating energy transition.
•The Ministry of Interior will propose using funds from a 200-billion-baht emergency loan decree for energy transition.
•The project initially plans to grant 50,000 baht per household to 1 million households, with potential expansion to 1.5 million households.
•The solar rooftop project is expected to begin in mid-October and continue until the end of 2027.
•Ekniti Nitithanprapas partnered with Government Savings Bank, Government Housing Bank, and Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives to provide upfront investment loans.
•Solar panels with a lifespan of 25-30 years could allow citizens to earn approximately 1,000 baht per month depending on electricity usage.
•Ekniti Nitithanprapas is considering customs tax reductions for solar panels to encourage domestic production by Thai factories.

Full article content is available on the original source.

Read on Khaosod (Thai Version)

Source: Khaosod (Original)

View Original Article

Key Quotes

Ekniti Nitithanprapas

"This is a major transition in Thailand, and the transition will help people have income, changing from power consumers to power producers."

นี่คือการเปลี่ยนผ่านครั้งใหญ่ในประเทศไทย และการเปลี่ยนผ่านจะช่วยให้ประชาชนมีรายได้ เปลี่ยนจากผู้บริโภคไฟเป็นผู้ผลิตไฟ

Ekniti Nitithanprapas

"The 50 billion baht budget is less than the 60 billion baht we paid for the state welfare card project last year, but today it will help create income for them for 25-30 years."

วงเงิน 5 หมื่นล้านบาทนั้น น้อยกว่าวงเงินที่เราจ่ายโครงการบัตรสวัสดิการแห่งรัฐ ปีที่ผ่านมาที่ 6 หมื่นล้านบาท แต่วันนี้จะช่วยสร้างรายได้ให้เขาตลอด 25-30 ปีเลยนะครับ

Key Entities

Person

Ekniti Nitithanprapas(เอกนิติ นิติทัณฑ์ประภาศ)ℹ️

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance.

Organization

Ministry of Finance(กระทรวงการคลัง)ℹ️

The ministry to which the Ministry of Interior will propose the solar rooftop project for funding.

Ministry of Interior(กระทรวงมหาดไทย)ℹ️

The ministry proposing the solar rooftop project and requesting treasury funds.

Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand(การไฟฟ้าฝ่ายผลิตแห่งประเทศไทย)ℹ️

The agency responsible for smart meters, smart grids, transmission line expansion, and battery storage.

Government Savings Bank(ธนาคารออมสิน)

One of the three banks partnering to provide upfront investment for the solar project.

Government Housing Bank(ธนาคารอาคารสงเคราะห์)ℹ️

One of the three banks partnering to provide upfront investment for the solar project.

Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives(ธนาคารเพื่อการเกษตรและสหกรณ์การเกษตร)

One of the three banks partnering to provide upfront investment for the solar project.

Board of Investment(คณะกรรมการส่งเสริมการลงทุน)

The organization that found 7-8 Thai factories with sufficient solar production capacity.

Law

Emergency Loan Decree(พระราชกำหนดกู้เงินฯ)

The decree providing a 200-billion-baht fund for energy transition.

Policy

Solar Rooftop Project(โครงการโซลาร์รูฟท็อป)

An initiative to provide subsidies for solar cell installation for 1 to 1.5 million households.

State Welfare Card Project(โครงการบัตรสวัสดิการแห่งรัฐ)

A previous government project with a 60-billion-baht budget mentioned for budget comparison.