The Metropolitan Electricity Authority of Thailand (MEA) is considering a plan to spin off its energy services to capitalise on rising demand, says deputy governor Ruj Herabat.
He said the MEA began providing energy services under the Better Care MEA banner in late 2016, providing installation of electrical equipment, power-saving equipment and solar systems.
Better Care MEA is a department within the MEA, which is being considered to be spun off as a private company as it has more than 20 projects from several private and public organisations and demand for its services is rising substantially.
The plan to spin off the business must first be approved by the Interior Ministry.
Mr Ruj said the move to spin off the business falls in line with energy policymakers' efforts to enhance the country's energy consumption efficiency, which include plans to help reduce total power consumption by around 30% by 2036.
Demand for energy services has been growing in the double-digits every year, mostly from private firms that want to lower energy consumption and cut energy costs.
The most prominent service is solar rooftop panel and light emission diode (LED) installations, which help cut energy costs sharply.
The MEA yesterday introduced a project to install solar panels and LEDs at the Chaeng Wattana Government Complex in Laksi district.
It is the largest MEA project yet, with a total area of 1.04 million square metres across four buildings.
The MEA has provided solar panel rooftops with a capacity of 2.2 megawatts and replaced lighting systems with 38,000 LEDs thus far using the Treasury Department's budget of 190 million baht.
This project aims to reduce energy costs by 5 million units a year, Mr Ruj said.
He said the MEA will allow owners of houses and buildings to join the pilot project to install solar rooftops in residences and private buildings with a combined total capacity of 100MW as part of a feasibility study to liberalise solar rooftop regulations.
The Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency reported the energy service business in Thailand is expected to gain jobs from households and buildings worth up to US$300 million.
During the first stage of introducing the energy service business in Thailand during 2010-12, investment value in the sector was just $80 million.
The number of energy service firms is also expected to increase to 200, rising from 50.