Regulatory board due this month
Bangkok Post, 15 March 2004
Wichit Chantanusornsiri
A new national energy regulatory body is expected to be established by the end of the month, according to Areepong Bhoocha-oom, deputy director-general of the State Enterprise Policy Committee.
The creation of the new energy regulator, with responsibility for overseeing energy prices and services, is considered crucial if the stalled privatisation of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand is to move forward.
Dr. Areepong noted that the cabinet in December had approved the creation of a seven-person regulatory board to oversee electricity prices and ensure fair competition between Egat and private power producers.
The new board would also oversee the country's electricity grid and transmission network and set basic service standards for operators.
Dr. Areepong said that appointees to the new board would need to be experts in the energy sector and able to build credibility among the public in the new body.
He downplayed concerns about the political independence of the new body, saying that authorities were committed to open, transparent operations and that close interaction with state policymakers actually would help maximise efficiency in operations.
Authorities had originally planned to corporatise Egat in the beginning of the month, the first step toward privatisation and a listing on the Stock Exchange of Thailand in May.
But large protests by Egat union members have resulted in the postponement of the listing plan, now expected to be completed possibly in the third quarter of this year.
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has given various state agencies one month to implement the legal reforms necessary to ensure that privatisation could move forward.
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