Electricity consumption peaked for the third consecutive day Wednesday afternoon due to the extremely hot weather.
Soonchai Kumnoonsate, governor of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat), said the latest peak, the fifth so far this year, was recorded at 29,249.4 megawatts at 2.13pm when the average temperature in the country measured 38.1 degrees Celsius.
He attributed the soaring power consumption to hot weather in many regions, a weekday when businesses were operating, and the ongoing school holiday which caused high day-time power consumption at residences.
The five peaks happened in April alone, with the three latest peaks occurring daily from Monday onwards.
This year's new highs were recorded on April 6, 19, 25, 26, and 27 at 27,639.3MW, 28,351MW, 28,475.3MW, 29,004.6MW and 29,249.4MW respectively.
The latest peak even exceeded the Egat's previous anticipation of power demand for this year at 29,200MW.
The Meteorological Department predicted extremely hot weather in the North, the Northeast and the Central Plain on Wednesday and Thursday. It also expected rainstorms and hailstorms from Thursday to next Tuesday in some regions, beginning with the Northeast.