Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul held talks with former United Kingdom prime minister Tony Blair at Government House this morning. Blair is in Thailand to attend Gastech Bangkok 2026.
Blair, who served as UK prime minister from 1997 to 2007 and is now executive chairman of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, spoke at the strategic conference of Gastech Exhibition & Conference, which runs from Monday to Thursday.
Government spokesman Ekkapop Pianpises said the talks focused on exchanging views on technological transformation and how Thailand can move towards a new economy and escape the middle-income trap.
The discussions covered plans to raise national income, the data centre business, the energy transition and Thailand’s efforts to join the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), he said.
Blair advised that the data centre industry should be an area of interest for Thailand, saying investment in the sector would give the country access to datasets that could be further developed and create opportunities for Thais to develop their own applications and startups.
The meeting took place before Anutin presided over the opening ceremony of Gastech Bangkok 2026, where he outlined Thailand’s energy transition strategy.
The government is preparing to launch a 50-billion-baht programme to support households in installing rooftop solar systems, with the aim of reducing electricity bills and strengthening energy security.
The programme is expected to begin in mid-October, according to the government.
Gastech Bangkok 2026 is being held from today until Thursday and is billed as the world’s largest gathering focused on natural gas, LNG, low-carbon solutions, electrification and AI-driven energy technologies.
