Thailand’s Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has decided to raise the FT (fuel tariff) for electricity for September through December by 68.66 satang per unit, which will bring the average rate for electricity to 4.72 baht per unit, to help ease the financial burden on the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT).
The ERC Office said in its Facebook post yesterday (Monday) that EGAT has shouldered the burden of increased production costs on behalf of consumers to the tune of about 83 billion baht.
It explained that the increase in the FT rate since last year is attributable to the increased dependence on liquefied natural gas (LNG), purchased in the spot market, to substitute for the supply of natural gas from the Gulf of Thailand and gas fields in Myanmar, which are fast depleting.
The increase in the electricity rate due to the adjustment of the FT will affect all users, including about 22.5 million households.
According to the ERC Office, consumers who use less than 150 units of electricity per month actually use an average of 72 units. At the current electricity rate of 3.7 baht per unit, each household pays an average of 264 baht per month. With the new rate of 4.38 baht per unit, their electricity bill will increase to about 313 baht per month.
For consumers who use more than 150 units per month, average use per household per month is 332 units. Their current electricity bill is about 1,418 baht per month at the rate of 4.28 baht per unit. Their new electricity bill will increase to about 1,645 baht per month with the new electricity rate at 4.96 baht per unit.
