Though Thailand is gearing up for a historic general election on 8 February, for which the centre-left People’s Party has topped major opinion polls, several of the party’s candidates have been feeling the heat elsewhere.
Supachot Chaiyasat is one of them. He has been a vocal advocate for sustainable energy and fair power prices while in office, publicly scrutinising government initiatives that he believes could burden Thai taxpayers. But his outspokenness has sometimes come at a cost. In August 2025, Supachot, fellow party candidate Woraphop Viriyaroj, and party leader and prime ministerial candidate Natthapong Ruengpunyawut, each faced a 100-million-baht (USD 3.17 million) defamation lawsuit filed by Thai energy conglomerate Gulf Development.
The case was brought over statements they made in press conferences and parliamentary debates last year criticising energy pricing and government electricity procurement arrangements, reported the Thai Examiner. On 2 February, the three candidates submitted advance bail documents to the Criminal Court in Bangkok ahead of their next hearing.
This has not deterred Supachot, who continues to speak openly on Thailand’s energy sector and the issues it is facing. In an interview with Dialogue Earth, he discussed the country’s challenges with its energy transition efforts, China’s growing role in Southeast Asia’s green development agenda, and why regional cooperation is important in achieving climate goals. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Dialogue Earth: In parliament, you have advocated for fair, competitive and affordable pricing of electricity from renewable sources. You have also called for greater transparency in procurement and the promotion of direct power purchase agreements to enable small power producers to have a share in the industry. What stands in the way of these?
Supachot Chaiyasat: The main problem is the market structure. Thailand currently has the single buyer model – in other words, the monopoly by state-owned utilities – which we all know limits competition. I think that could lead to two things. One is corruption; another is that it relies on government policy rather than looking at actual cost.
We need to ask whether that model is aligned with the current energy context. My answer is no: not only does it limit competition, it doesn’t maximise the benefit of the available energy. It’s blocking the new type of energy user – the “prosumer”, who can install solar on their homes’ rooftops but not be able to sell it back to the grid.
Do you think increased investment from China, with its expertise in renewable energy technology, could accelerate Thailand’s green energy transition?
Yes and no. Admittedly, in the short term, we still have to procure advanced technology for the renewable energy sector from China. But we have to use that opportunity for knowledge transfer as well, otherwise we will just be the buyer. The government can look at public procurement [from Chinese companies] as an opportunity to upgrade the infrastructure, such as the grid, and even find new industries [in the green transition sphere]. We can learn from China and make it [an increased expertise in renewable technology] happen in Thailand. That could boost the domestic economy as well.
When Chinese companies establish a foothold in a foreign country, they usually hire Chinese experts to fill senior and technical positions. Are you concerned that technological transfer is not as good as it should be?
I think there are several concerns over dependence on China, even in knowledge transfer. We also see it in other sectors where we rely on Chinese products and goods, so it is a matter for the government to identify derisking solutions. We have to talk not only to China but also to other countries on knowledge transfer, and we have to support our institutions, such as ministries, to develop the capacity to adapt the technology and align it with the Thai context, rather than just bringing it here and using it.
Let’s talk about the Asean power grid project to interconnect member states’ grids. There is still mistrust among Asean countries that stands as a key barrier to fully realising the project. How do you think this can be overcome?
Once Thailand has fair rules, a transparent process and a competitive mechanism or structure [for electricity], the next step of the People’s Party is to support the project.
I think the power grid would allow us to optimise resources in our region, and in the end, reduce energy tariffs. We cannot achieve net-zero on our own, without bringing other countries on the journey to achieve the goal.
Regarding the mistrust, I think we have to show them [other Asean countries] that the initiative doesn’t mean we need to connect every country at the same time. We can start with a pilot project. We do have transmission lines connecting lines from Thailand, through Malaysia, and then to Singapore. We can build on the lines that already exist, show that the pilot project works, and try to explain the result [the effectiveness of expanded cross-border power interconnection]. Then I think everyone will understand the benefit of that project and would want to lower the barrier.
Energy security has often been raised by policymakers, not just in Thailand, but also in other Asean countries, as a justification for their continued reliance on natural gas and fossil fuels. Do you think this is a valid concern?
I have worked against the idea of using fossil fuels for energy security since I became an MP. I’ve also fought to change this mindset. We need to learn from other countries: are they still relying on fossil fuels or not? If we look at developed countries, many have split energy security into different components.
Can fossil fuels do everything? Yes. But what would the trade-offs be when we build a fossil fuel plant? Are there any alternate options to solve the problem of energy security? I would say yes as well.
We have solar energy for power generation; battery storage to make the grid more stable; and the synchronous condenser to ensure grid stability. The solution is on the market. Fossil fuels or conventional power plants are not everything anymore, and the context has changed significantly from the past. We need to align the Thai energy sector with the current options of advanced technology available.
