Thailand as a Regional Energy Influencer

As a major power investor in Laos and rising electricity trading hub, Thailand holds significant influence over regional power development

By Courtney Weatherby • Allison Carr Data support • Regan Kwan Data support

Southeast Asia

May 6, 2021

Electricity demand in Southeast Asia is rising rapidly, and the International Energy Agency estimates that demand from the ten members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will rise 60% through 2040. Reliably meeting projected needs will require doubling the region’s current power generation capacity and significantly expanding transmission infrastructure. This burden does not fall equally on all ASEAN members, and the five Mekong countries have proposals for more than 170,000 MW of new power generation projects through the mid-2030s. Although Thailand’s annual electricity demand growth is slower than its neighbors, just under one third of that 170,000 MW will be built to meet Thailand’s projected energy needs.

This StoryMap explores Thailand’s influence as an investor in regional power generation projects and power purchaser and discusses how Thailand could utilize its goal of becoming a regional electricity trading hub to support sustainable energy development. ArcGIS StoryMaps are web-based applications that combine narrative storytelling with integrated and interactive maps and other embedded content. StoryMaps are supported by Esri which is the global market leader for geographic information systems and a partner of the Mekong Infrastructure Tracker platform.