The cabinet will next week decide on proposed measures to assist householders as the cost of electricity rises to a record-high, and assistance will be provided to meet September’s bills, according Energy Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow.
The minister was speaking after the regular cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
He said the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) had proposed measures to cushion the new power tariff, which is effective this month, and the cabinet would consider them next Tuesday.
“They will be in effect in time for this September’s bills,” he said.
Mr Supattanapong also said the government would promote household installation of solar panels to offset the ongoing cost of electricity.
Agencies including the Energy Ministry and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand would quickly work out a promotion package, Mr Supattanapong said.
The ERC recently approved an 18% rise in the price of electricity for the September-December quarter, to a record-high 4.72 baht per kilowatt hour (unit).
The increase comes from the fuel tariff (FT) component in the electricity tariff increasing by 0.6866 baht per KWh to 0.9343 baht per KWh on the rising price of imported liquefied natural gas, used for 60% of the country’s power generation.