Energy Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga on Wednesday assured the public that electricity bills will not rise from May to August as the ministry is committed to maintaining the present power tariff for households at 4.18 baht per unit.
Mr Pirapan, who is also a deputy prime minister, said yesterday the current fuel tariff (Ft) rate was set at 4.18 baht per unit in January and will end in April.
However, the ministry wants to stick to the same rate beyond that time period.
"We want to maintain the present rate as long as possible. This is likely to happen because PTT Exploration and Production Plc [PTTEP] confirms it can carry out gas production in the Gulf of Thailand in April," said Mr Pirapan.
The minister said there are also other positive factors that will contribute to the ministry's efforts to cap the Ft at 4.18 baht, including cheaper imported liquefied natural gas.
Pirapan: No plan to raise price
He said he would visit the PTTEP's Erawan gas block in the Gulf of Thailand to see its capacity.
The Erawan gas block will be an inexpensive gas supply for the country, which will help the ministry maintain the Ft rate because gas accounts for 60% of the fuel used for power generation in this country.
"I am confident that people will not see a spike in electricity bills as we are working hard to alleviate financial burdens on the people," he said.
Mr Pirapan recently held discussions with several parties, including the energy permanent secretary and the energy regulatory commission, on ways to keep the present Ft rate and to ensure that it will not exceed 4.68 baht per unit.
At present, the government also provides a Ft rate of 3.99 baht per unit for households that use electricity, amounting to no more than 300 units per month.