Speaking at Government House on Friday (May 1), Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the new pricing model would ultimately lower electricity costs for the public, framing the policy as part of broader structural reform to empower consumers through renewable energy, reports the Bangkok Post.
"We are turning sunlight into money," he said, referring to plans to expand rooftop solar installations. Households will be able to generate electricity for their own use, with surplus power purchased by the state and redistributed. "This represents a shift in the structure of the electricity system towards the people."
Addressing questions about the affordability of solar rooftop systems, Mr Anutin said costs would fall over time in line with market demand, comparing them with early mobile phones, which were once priced above B200,000 but are now widely accessible.
Asked whether the public would have to accept higher bills for now, Mr Anutin said: "Rates have already been reduced for the first 200 units for ordinary consumers ‒ everyone benefits equally, at B3 per unit.
"Consumption between 200 and 400 units will be charged on a tiered basis, while usage above 400 units will be subject to a different rate.
"This reflects a fair sharing of the burden, as is the case in many systems in Thailand," he said.
He acknowledged the changes would not take effect in the current billing cycle, citing procedural requirements and the role of the Energy Regulatory Commission.
Mr Anutin said the government was working to implement the policy as quickly as possible, alongside other economic initiatives, with the aim of delivering tangible benefits by early June.
However, critics argue the policy fails to address the root causes of high electricity costs. Rosana Tositrakul, a former senator, described the government’s claim of reducing electricity prices to B3 per unit as "only half the truth".
Ms Rosana said the policy merely shifts the financial burden among consumers rather than resolving structural inefficiencies.
She pointed to key cost drivers that remain unaddressed, including "availability payments" to power producers, additional tariff subsidies (adder), and excess electricity reserves, which exceed demand by more than 50%.
Rather than tackling these issues, she said, the government had opted for a progressive tariff structure that transfers costs from low-usage to high-usage consumers.
"This is effectively asking the public to shoulder the burden among themselves, while leaving private power producers’ profits untouched," she said.
Ms Rosana also highlighted the growing role of private power companies, which now account for roughly 70% of electricity generation, while the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand has been reduced to a buyer rather than its primary producer.
She also criticised past policies that, in her view, facilitated guaranteed returns to private firms through availability payments, regardless of whether electricity is generated ‒ a factor she said contributes significantly to high tariffs.
Describing the tiered pricing model as a superficial fix, Ms Rosana warned heavy electricity users would bear the brunt of the changes.
Quoting the English phrase that a "half truth is a whole lie", she accused the government of presenting a misleading narrative.