Thailand’s Clean Electricity Transition

Since the publication of its latest Power Development Plan (PDP) in 2020 (PDP 2018 Revision 1), Thailand has considerably increased its emissions reductions objectives, announcing a net zero greenhouse gas emissions target for 2065 and carbon neutrality for 2050. As the power sector is a large part of the country’s emissions, and because it has a key role to play in decarbonising other sectors, meeting these targets is possible only if the power sector is decarbonising too. This report hence analyses how Thailand can achieve its clean electricity transition, by comparing the planned trajectory of the PDP with the emissions targets, and providing an assessment of the gaps. Building upon the current PDP, this report analyses how the Thai power system can decrease its emissions to meet the targets by increasing the amount of wind and solar PV in its system, and how it can integrate these variable renewable energy sources efficiently.

This report concludes work area one of the joint work programme among the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), the Ministry of Energy of Thailand and the International Energy Agency (IEA), and has benefited from data and input from the Thai counterparts. The analysis is based on a PLEXOS model of the Thai power system that has been developed by the IEA in cooperation with EGAT.