Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra says the government is ready to deal with the looming threat of power shortages in April.
The government is under pressure to address a potential energy crisis when Myanmar reduces its supply of natural gas to Thailand from April 5-14 as maintenance work commences on the Yadana gas field.
April's scheduled disruption has prompted the government to come up with a short term energy-saving campaign and a long-term plan to find new sources of electricity.
However, this has met with opposition from activists who see it as an excuse to justify the construction of more power plants.
Senator Rosana Tositrakul accused the government of creating a "fake energy crisis" and "a climate of fear".
Ms Rosana, who has been monitoring the country's energy policy, said she would submit an urgent motion at next week's House meeting calling on the government to provide details about the expected shortage and its energy plan.
In her weekly address yesterday, the prime minister said plans are in place to cushion the impact of the maintenance work in Myanmar.
She said that as a short term measure the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) would put off maintenance work on some power plants and seek additional fuel sources such as diesel for power generation.
Over the long term, the Energy Ministry would look for new sources of natural gas and will promote alternative fuels.
Ms Yingluck said the government would launch a "turn it off" campaign in three sectors _ government, manufacturing and residential _ to alleviate the impact of the shortage.
State agencies have been told to cut down on fuel consumption by 10% a year. The cabinet recently passed a resolution requiring them to save energy by turning off non-essential lights or electrical appliances.
The manufacturing sector is being urged to do their bit by halting or reducing activities on April 5 when electricity use is expected to peak.
The public can also contribute by cutting down on energy consumption, she said.
"If we start saving now, the impact on that day can be limited," she said.
However, she admitted that partial blackouts are expected in Bangkok on April 5.
The Energy Ministry will stage an energy emergency response drill on March 13 to assess its ability to withstand power disruptions, she said.
Ms Yingluck said the government has also made contingency plans in case the maintenance work in Myanmar goes beyond April 14.
The government has ordered an increase in stockpiles of diesel and bunker oil as additional fuels, she said.
However, she said a shortfall in energy after April 14 would not pose serious problems as power consumption usually drops after the Songkran holiday.
Santi Chokchaichamnankit, an activist from Energy Watch, an independent energy policy monitoring group, also raised doubts about the government's projection of an energy crisis in April.
Mr Santi said according to Egat there are five power plants using natural gas from Myanmar _ three in Ratchaburi and two in Bangkok _ with a combined capacity of around 5,000MW.
During the period when maintenance work is being undertaken in Myanmar, the three power plants in Ratchaburi could switch to oil while Bangkok's Phra Nakhon Nua and Phra Nakhon Tai power plants _ which have a combined capacity of 1,380MW _ would halt production.
This means only 1,380MW would be absent from the power grid, so it is strange that the government keeps talking about looming power outages, Mr Santi said.
"I don't know if the government has any hidden agenda, but they have already created public alarm and convinced them that more power plants are needed," Mr Santi said.