Thailand Applies WHF to Save Energy, Offices Asked to Adjust Air Conditioning Temperature to Save Money

ILLUSTRATION UNSPLASH/Markus Spiske

JAKARTA - Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced energy-saving measures for government agencies and state-owned companies amid rising global oil prices due to the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.

The austerity measures taken by Thailand, including the implementation of remote work for civil servants there, were carried out because the impact of rising oil prices could threaten energy security in the white elephant country.

"The Thai Prime Minister has instructed government agencies and companies to immediately implement measures that allow employees to work from home, when their duties do not affect the provision of public services," said Deputy Government Spokesperson Lalida Periswiwatana at a press conference at the Government House, Bangkok, reported by ANTARA from Sputnik, Wednesday, March 11.

All overseas travel funded by the Thai government for employees, including for educational and internship purposes, has been suspended and must be carried out domestically, added Periswiwatana.

The Thai government is developing a wider energy saving program for the coming period, including the daily closure of public gas stations (SPBU) from 22.00 to 06.00 local time.

"The Middle East is the world's largest energy supplier and the ongoing conflict there causes constant volatility in global oil and energy prices. The government also considers handling the threatening energy crisis as a top priority," the spokesperson said.

The Thai government is also reviewing a proposal from the local energy ministry to introduce stricter savings measures if the situation worsens.

The current daily average demand in Thailand for oil products is around 32.7 million gallons.

As of March 5, total oil reserves in Thailand were recorded at around 2.1 billion gallons, requiring most of the imported crude oil, Periswiwatana said.

The Thai Ministry of Energy has also proposed several conservative measures for public office buildings, including regulating air conditioning temperatures at 25-26 degrees Celsius, encouraging the use of short-sleeved clothing rather than suits and ties except for official events, and reducing electricity consumption.

Other proposed measures also include turning off lights and equipment that are not in use, using energy-saving settings on computers, turning off computers when not in use, and limiting the use of elevators.

The government also ordered fuel-saving measures for government vehicles, such as monitoring fuel consumption, driving economically, encouraging the use of shared vehicles among Thai civil servants.

The public relations department at the prime minister's office was also asked to coordinate with television channels, radio stations, and social media platforms to save national energy if the crisis worsens, the spokesperson said.

The Thai government is currently keeping gasoline and diesel prices from rising through the National Oil Fund subsidy, which has been in effect since the beginning of March for 15 days. However, Thailand has not decided whether to extend the program.

Most of Thailand's electricity is generated by thermal power plants that use natural gas; while most is also imported from neighboring countries, especially Laos, which operates a series of hydroelectric plants on the Mekong River tributaries.