Palang Thai and A W.I.S.H. Release Final Report on Recent Exchange Trip and Follow-Up Activities (May 2009)

The “Exchange Trip of Thai Energy Delegates on Energy Regulatory and Planning Practices to Washington and Oregon” project brought high level Thai and US counterparts together in Washington and Oregon for a set of conversations that have laid the foundation for potentially historic reforms to power sector planning and regulation in Thailand. The exchange comprised a week of visits in late September 2008 to renewable energy installations as well as round‐table discussions with energy decision‐makers in the Pacific Northwest. Follow‐up meetings and a public seminar in Thailand in January 2009 built on the momentum generated by the exchange.

As a result of these activities, the Thai Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has publicly stated their intention to support transition to an integrated resource planning process. The ultimate goals of this process include institutionalizing true least‐cost power sector planning and utility incentive structures in a variety of ways that allow energy conservation and renewable energy to compete on an equal footing with supply‐side options, and towards more meaningful public involvement in key decisions in the sector.

The exchange was organized by Palang Thai (a Bangkok‐based energy NGO) and A W.I.S.H (an international umbrella organization for sustainability). The exchange was made possible by the generous support from the blue moon fund.

The recently released report discusses the context for the study tour, and gives a chronological summary of the tour and follow‐up activities, accompanied by a discussion of key issues addressed in dialogues between Thai delegates and American counterparts during the tour and subsequent follow‐up activities. The report’s authors characterize positions of key actors on contentious issues, and how they have shifted as a result of this project. They conclude with a discussion of outcomes, future strategy to move forward and an overview of the exchange trip organizers.