Cheap Electricity in Isan: 3.30-Baht Power & 25-Baht Fuel

A convoy of blue-and-white buses rolled into Khon Kaen this week carrying a single, highly charged message: energy prices in the Northeast do not have to stay sky-high. United Thai Nation Party (UTN) leaders are betting that the promise of electricity at 3.30 baht per unit and petrol-diesel at 25 baht per litre is compelling enough to tilt the upcoming general election in their favour. Supporters cheered, but policy analysts immediately questioned how the figures would be financed.

At-a-Glance: What UTN Is Telling Isan

• Cheaper power and fuel within one year of taking office

• A push for “freedom solar” licences so households can install rooftop panels without red tape

• A review of gas contracts and the Oil Fund to trim what the party calls “hidden taxes”

• Campaign caravan will cover 20 provinces in the Northeast before Songkran

Why Energy Bills Matter More Up-Country

Isan’s households spend a larger share of income on utilities than any other Thai region. Factory wages average ฿340 a day, and drought cycles force many families to run water pumps longer, inflating electricity use. Public transport is thin, so residents rely on motorbikes; when fuel edges past ฿32 a litre, daily commutes can swallow a third of take-home pay. That backdrop explains why every major party now pitches an energy discount—UTN’s numbers are simply the most aggressive.

Inside the UTN Price Formula

Party leader Pirapan Salirathavibhaga argues that his tenure as energy minister in the mid-2010s proves he can negotiate down tariffs. The plan, unveiled under the slogan “Isan Must Be Better,” contains three pillars:

Cap the Ft (fuel tariff) surcharge so overall household rates hit 3.30 baht per kWh.

Suspend Oil Fund levies and tap a strategic petroleum reserve to hold pump prices at 25 baht.

Fast-track a one-stop licence for rooftop solar, letting owners sell excess power back to the grid.Pirapan insists the measures can be financed by “trimming fat” in fuel-pipeline fees and renegotiating gas contracts set when oil hovered near $100 a barrel.

Economists Crunch the Math

Independent analysts are less sanguine. The state generator EGAT already shoulders over ฿100 B in debt from previous tariff freezes. Cutting rates to 3.30 baht could add another ฿30-40 B a year unless generation costs fall sharply. On fuel, scrapping the Oil Fund means surrendering a revenue stream worth ฿70 B annually that currently subsidises LPG for low-income users. “Somebody still pays,” notes Chulalongkorn energy scholar Dr. Supawan Achakul. “If it’s not consumers at the pump, it becomes taxpayers in the budget.”

Street-Level Reactions

At the Khon Kaen launch, motorcycle-taxi drivers, tuk-tuk operators, and rice farmers queued to shake Pirapan’s hand. Somchai Srisuk, who ferries passengers from the bus terminal to the university, calculated that 25-baht diesel would leave an extra ฿180 in his pocket each day. “That’s two extra plates of kai yang for my kids,” he smiled. But vendors selling phone top-ups nearby voiced scepticism. “We’ve heard cheap-fuel vows before,” said Nitthaya Khamsen, glancing at the clattering UTN loudspeaker truck. “The bill never stays low for long.”

What Other Countries Can Teach Thailand

Neighbouring Vietnam slashed solar installation hurdles in 2020 and saw rooftop capacity leap from 4.9 GW to 17 GW in just four years—relieving pressure on retail tariffs. Singapore, meanwhile, funds strategic oil stocks through a mix of carbon taxes and industry levies rather than drawing on the central budget. Both cases suggest that structural reforms plus green investment reduce prices more sustainably than blunt subsidies.

The Road to the Ballot Box

Election officials are expected to confirm the polling date within the next few weeks. UTN’s caravan will snake through Udon Thani, Roi Et, Surin, and all 20 Isan provinces by mid-April, collecting signatures of support along the way. Rival parties are readying their own energy planks, but none match UTN’s headline figures. Whether voters embrace the bold math—or balk at the potential fiscal hangover—will become clear when ballots are counted.

Key Takeaway: UTN’s cut-price power pitch has electrified voter attention in the Northeast; its real-world feasibility, however, will hinge on detailed costings that the party has yet to release.