CHIANG RAI – Officials from the Provincial Electricity Authority reported Tuesday that 238 villages in 15 districts still have 2,870 households without access to electricity. That number shows a clear gap between having enough power at the national level and making sure every home can actually use it.
While public attention often stays on global energy prices and fuel risk, people in many parts of Chiang Rai are still dealing with a more direct issue. They need light in their homes, power for fans and refrigerators, and safe living conditions after dark.
Governor Choochip Pongchai led the meeting to review solutions for homes that still lack electricity. Relevant agencies joined the discussion as the province continued to carry out government and Interior Ministry policy for fiscal year 2026.
This effort did not start overnight. The province has been gathering feedback directly from local leaders, local officials, and residents in affected areas. So far, Chiang Rai has already surveyed 11 of its 18 districts, and the findings point to the same problem. Lack of electricity remains a major obstacle for many communities.
Because of that, the province is no longer treating this as a small set of isolated complaints. Officials now see it as a wider structural issue that needs legal action, budget support, and suitable technology.
At the same time, the province is also promoting renewable energy, especially solar power systems, to help people in hard-to-reach areas get electricity more fairly and for the long term.
Chiang Rai to Focus on Solar Energy
This matters because many parts of Chiang Rai face limits that make standard grid expansion difficult. The province has mountainous terrain, remote settlements, legal restrictions in some areas, and higher investment costs in places with only a small number of homes.
The figure of 2,870 households may look like a line in an official report, but for families on the ground, it means much more. It means homes with limited light at night. It means children who struggle to study after sunset.
It means families that cannot store fresh food easily. It also means older residents and patients live without the basic convenience that many people in other areas take for granted. So this is not only an infrastructure issue. It is also a quality-of-life issue.
Governor Choochip said power development cannot be measured only by how much electricity the country can produce. It also has to be measured by whether people in every area can actually access that power. As long as many households remain outside the system, energy inequality is still real.
One of the strongest signals from Chiang Rai’s plan is the growing focus on solar energy. Instead of relying only on traditional grid expansion, the province is giving more weight to solar systems as a practical solution for remote communities.
That approach fits the local context. In some areas, extending transmission lines costs too much compared with the number of households served. In those cases, solar power may be a better fit, especially where terrain and construction limits make permanent network expansion harder.
This also shows a broader policy shift. The province is combining legal tools, public funding, and clean energy technology instead of using only one method. As a result, Chiang Rai could become a useful model for other provinces facing the same issue.
Better access to electricity means better daily life
Chiang Rai Governor said the Province it will keep working with all related sectors to speed up support for affected households. The goal is to help people gain wider access to electricity, improve living standards, and strengthen energy security across the province.
That goal goes far beyond basic utility service. Electricity supports work, food storage, communication, learning, and safety. When a home has no reliable power, many other parts of life fall behind as well.
For remote communities, electricity is not just about turning on a light. It can open the door to income, better health, better education, and stronger local economies.
While Chiang Rai tackles access at the local level, the national conversation is focused on energy stability, especially during a time of global fuel uncertainty. One concern has been LNG supply, as international conflict affects both fuel prices and supply pressure.
On this issue, Poonpat Leesombatpaiboon, Secretary-General of the Energy Regulatory Commission, said Thailand’s electricity system remains stable. He told Nakorn News that the country can still manage enough energy to meet demand, even during April and May, which are usually the hottest months and the peak period for electricity use.
The key point is that Thailand does not depend on LNG from only one region. The country can source LNG from several places around the world, so there is no immediate risk of a fuel shortage for national power generation.
That message matters because people have been watching global energy tensions closely, especially as summer demand rises.
Fuel plans were prepared before peak demand
The regulator also said Thailand had already assessed energy risks before tensions in the Middle East increased. To prepare, the country planned to import three LNG cargoes. In April, two cargoes had already been secured.
At the same time, Thailand has increased electricity generation from coal, hydropower, and natural gas from the Gulf of Thailand. This helps reduce dependence on imported LNG during some periods.
There were also notable changes in fuel management. In March, Thailand reduced LNG imports by 70 percent per one cargo and increased domestic gas use by 50 percent per one cargo. That shows the country is balancing several fuel sources, not relying on a single one to keep the power system steady.
In short, Thailand is handling two energy tasks at once. On one side, it is protecting the national grid. On the other, it still has to make sure people in remote communities can benefit from that system in real life.
Another important detail is the country’s fuel mix for power generation in 2025. According to the regulator, Thailand still relies mainly on natural gas, which makes up 56 percent of electricity generation.
That gas comes from three main sources. About 50 percent comes from the Gulf of Thailand, 10 percent comes through pipeline imports from Myanmar, and 40 percent comes in the form of LNG.
This mix shows both strength and risk. On one hand, Thailand has more than one source of fuel and does not depend only on the Middle East. On the other hand, because natural gas still plays the main role, global gas market swings can still affect Thailand through import costs and fuel supply planning.
Because of that, the regulator said it will keep monitoring the situation closely to control costs, maintain system stability, and protect fairness for energy users.
Two sides of the same energy issue for Chiang Rai
The situation in Chiang Rai and the message from the national regulator point to the same issue, fair access to energy. At the national level, Thailand says it still has enough fuel and enough generating capacity to meet demand.
Yet at the local level, thousands of households in Chiang Rai are still waiting for something basic, electricity at home. These two facts need to be seen together. A stable national system means a lot, but it does not tell the whole story if many families still live outside that system.
Chiang Rai highlights that energy security does not end at power plants or fuel storage sites. It reaches its true value only when electricity arrives at each household and improves daily life in a real way.
This story is not just about a provincial meeting or a technical update on the electric system. It shows the gap between national policy and daily life in remote communities.
On one side, Chiang Rai is pushing solutions for 2,870 households in 238 villages across 15 districts. The province is using legal channels, public funding, and solar power to move the issue forward.
On the other side, the Energy Regulatory Commission says Thailand’s power system remains stable and ready for high demand during April and May.
There is no perfect ending yet. Still, the direction is becoming clearer. Thailand is trying to protect both system stability and fair access at the same time.
For families in Chiang Rai who have lived without electricity for years, that may be the most important part. Their problem is no longer hidden. It is now being treated as a serious public issue that needs a real answer.
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