Energy Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga offered an assurance today that electricity charges for May-August will not be higher than they are now, as the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is holding an online public hearing to gauge opinions about the electricity rate.

Komkrit Tantravanich, secretary-general of the ERC Office, said today that the ERC had proposed three price options: 5.44 baht/unit if the Fuel Tariff (FT) charge is 165.24 satang/unit; 4.34 baht/unit if the FT is 55.72 satang/unit and 4.18 baht/unit if the FT is 39.72 satang/unit.

Members of the public can select one of the options from today until March 22^nd.

Komkrit explained that, if the ERC is to clear the nearly 99.7 billion baht in debt, accrued for electricity generation with the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), Thailand’s major electricity producer, the FT on consumers will be 165.24 satang/unit, which would increase the electricity price for the May-August period to 5.44 baht/unit, up from the current 4.18 baht/unit.

If, however, the debt is to be repaid in four instalments of 24.9 billion baht, the FT should be 55.72 satang/unit, increasing the electricity price to 4.34 baht/unit.

The third option is to keep the FT unchanged, at 39.72 satang/unit, meaning the electricity price will be maintained at 4.18 baht/unit.

In addition to the debt owed to EGAT, Komkrit said that the ERC still owes PTT about 12 billion baht for gas imported by state enterprises, for power production between September and December last year.

Meanwhile, Energy Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga wrote in his Facebook post today advising the public not to panic over the new electricity prices being proposed by the ERC, saying that, according to latest estimates of gas reserves in the Gulf of Thailand, there is enough for electricity generation to enable the price to remain unchanged for another pricing period.

He said that he has discussed the need to not increase the financial burden on consumers with the ERC chairman and EGAT management. Both promised to do their best to at least partially shoulder the burden for the public, he said, adding that the new electricity price for May-August will not be higher than it is now.