Thailand’s Energy Minister acknowledged that households have been paying part of the public electricity expense through their electricity bills for more than a decade and pledged to reduce the burden starting next month.
The issue gained public attention after Ekkawin Chokprasobruay, a People’s Party candidate for Bangkok City Council in Ratchathewi district, shared concerns on social media about public electricity charges being included in household electricity bills.
In his post, Ekkawin said he had recently learned that electricity costs for public spaces such as roads and communal areas had been distributed across household bills for years.
His comments quickly attracted public attention and sparked mixed reactions online. Some social media users argued that public electricity costs should be shared because residents benefit from street lighting and electricity in public areas.
Others said these costs should already be covered by tax revenue rather than being added to household electricity charges.
Energy policy scholar Areeporn Asawinpongphan from the Thailand Development Research Institute later explained the structure of public electricity costs in an interview with ThaiRath.
According to Areeporn, electricity costs for major highways, motorways and interprovincial roads are funded through tax revenue and managed by the Department of Highways and the Department of Rural Roads.
However, electricity costs for public spaces within local communities, including alleys and smaller connecting roads, fall under local administrative organisations.
Areeporn said local administrative organisations receive an electricity allowance equivalent to 10% of their monthly usage at no direct charge. She explained that this subsidy is funded through electricity charges distributed among the public and incorporated into household electricity bills.
If local authorities exceed the allocated amount, additional electricity costs are paid from their own budgets.
According to Areeporn, this means Thai households have effectively been contributing to around 10% of local public electricity costs. She said these charges should be clearly separated and disclosed to improve transparency.
Following the public debate, Energy Minister Akanat Promphan confirmed yesterday, June 22, that the concerns raised were accurate.
Speaking to Channel 3, Akanat said the cost of public electricity has been included in household electricity bills for more than 10 years. He estimated that households have collectively paid around 15 to 20 billion baht annually toward public electricity costs.
The minister said separating this expense from household bills could help reduce retail electricity prices and ease pressure on consumers.
When asked who would pay these costs if they were removed from household bills, Akanat said discussions with multiple government agencies would be required.
He acknowledged that the issue would take time to resolve but said he wants to begin restructuring the billing framework within a month.
Under the proposed approach, government agencies could be required to use separate electricity meters and dedicated budgets.
Akanat said the public has a right to understand how electricity costs are structured. He added that authorities are accelerating efforts to improve transparency by clearly categorising electricity users and developing long-term solutions to reduce overall electricity costs.
The story Minister confirms Thais paid billions yearly in hidden electricity charges as seen on Thaiger News.
