The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) submitted a letter to the Prime Minister opposing the increase in electricity prices.

Bangkok, The Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) State Enterprise Labor Union (SELA) gathered and submitted a letter to the Prime Minister, opposing the shifting of electricity costs to the people after the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) announced the highest electricity costs for the period of September-December 2024, exceeding 6 baht per unit. This morning, the Metropolitan Electricity Authority State Enterprise Labor Union (PEA) led by Mr. Sano Wisutthana, President of the Metropolitan Electricity Authority State Enterprise Labor Union, led more than 200 MEA employees from the Metropolitan Electricity Authority, Wat Lieb, to Government House to submit a letter to the Prime Minister to acknowledge the problems and find solutions, not to push the burden onto the people. This is after the ERC approved the 'electricity price' for the period of September-December 2024 into 3 approaches and asked to listen to the voices of electricity users. The first approach is to increase the electricity price by 4 .65 baht per unit, the second approach is to increase the electricity price by 4.92 baht per unit, and the third approach is to increase the electricity price by up to 6.01 baht per unit. If the electricity price exceeds 6 baht per unit, people who use 1,000 baht of electricity per month will definitely have to pay an additional 3,000 baht per month. The electricity price of electricity users nationwide will increase by 44% from the current price of 4.18 baht per unit. This submission was received by Mr. Somkid Chuekong, Assistant Secretary-General to the Prime Minister. The letter submitted to the Prime Minister contained proposals such as adjusting the electricity price or Ft fee this time, which is an unfair burden on the people. At present, the people are suffering from the skyrocketing cost of living, including the cost of oil, transportation, and food and other necessities. However, the government has no measures to solve the rising cost of living. The more the Ft fee is adjusted, the more suffering an d hardship it will create, making the people, including both government and private employees, suffer more. In the past, there was opposition to the privatization of state enterprises (EGAT), but in the past 10 years, the government has tried to limit the electricity production of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT). At the same time, it has opened the way for large private companies to come in and produce electricity to sell to EGAT and allow these private companies to come in and profit from the government's policy by making long-term contracts to monopolize the sale of electricity to EGAT and profit from the electricity reserve (Reserve Margin). Even if EGAT does not buy, it must pay (cost), which is equal to allowing private companies or large capital groups to come in and exploit the people. Part of the reason is the government's policy of reserving electricity higher than necessary, at 35-50% of the country's electricity demand, while the electricity reserve rate according to the or iginal criteria is 15%. The higher the electricity reserve, the more it becomes a hidden cost that is the burden of electricity users or the public. Therefore, providing benefits to large capital groups is considered a corrupt policy that the public has suffered from the burden of higher costs that they have to bear for the past decades. The Metropolitan Electricity Authority State Enterprise Labor Union would like to oppose the cost burden being shifted to the people, including requesting an end to the policy of allowing private companies to produce electricity and transfer electricity production back to the EGAT as before, including maintaining the electricity reserve rate at 15% of the country's electricity demand. Source: Thai News Agency