Thailand: 8th National Social and Economic Development Plan

The 8th Development Plan’s mechanisms to achieve its goals include providing adequate, affordable, quality energy sufficient to meet increases in demand; promoting efficient and economic use of energy; promoting competition in the energy supply industry and increasing the private sector’s role; preventing and mitigating environmental problems that arise from energy development and utilization, and improving the safety of energy-related activities; developing legislation related to energy. Fuel switching has been emphasized as well, alternatives explored including hydropower, gas turbines, low sulfur coal and solar. 

Status: Ended

Targets: The goals of the 8th Plan for Development are as follows: increase commercial primary energy production at 3% annually; Adjust the growth rate of domestic primary commercial energy consumption to be compatible with GDP growth; Maintain the ratio of imported energy dependency at no more than 64 % by the year 2001; Set targets for domestic production and import of energy; Set targets for the electricity generating capacity of the country to correspond with the decreasing demand; Increase the electricity generating capacity by using solar energy at a minimum capacity of 4 MW nationwide by 2001; Reduce power consumption through demand side management measures by 1,400 MW, and reduce energy consumption through the implementation under the Energy Conservation Promotion Act by approximately one million tons of crude oil equivalent per year by 2001; Establish reliability standards for the power system; and reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide from commercial energy consumption by transportation, electricity generation, industry and other economic sectors from a total level of 982,000 tons in 1996 to 365,000 tons in 2001. Many of these targets were lowered before their achievement due to the economic crisis.

References: National Communication to the UNFCCC