Bangkok: Energy consumption in Thailand decreased by 1.9 percent during the first nine months of 2025, according to the Energy Policy and Planning Office (EPPO). This decline is attributed to reduced electricity demand amid an economic downturn, even as passenger and air transport sectors showed an 8 percent increase in jet fuel consumption. CO2 emissions from energy use also saw a reduction across all economic sectors.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Wattanapong Kurovat, Director of the EPPO, reported that the primary commercial energy consumption was around 2,020 barrels of oil equivalent per day, marking a 1.9 percent decrease compared to the same period last year. This decline was due to a reduction in the use of fuels like natural gas and coal for electricity generation. Natural gas consumption decreased by 5.1 percent, and coal consumption fell by 5.0 percent, whereas oil consumption increased by 0.6 percent, lignite by 7.6 percent, and hydropower/imported electricity by 12.1 percent.
This trend is in line with the economic outlook from the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), which noted a slowdown in the Thai economy with a 1.2 percent expansion in the third quarter of 2025, down from 2.8 percent in the second quarter. The slowdown was largely due to declines in merchandise exports, government spending, and service exports, although private consumption and investment continued to grow. Overall, the Thai economy expanded by 2.4 percent over the first nine months of 2025.
The breakdown of energy consumption by fuel type revealed that refined petroleum product usage was at 140.4 million liters per day, a slight increase of 0.3 percent. Gasoline consumption increased by 0.9 percent, while diesel usage fell by 2.3 percent due to a slowdown in the transportation sector. Aviation fuel saw an 8.0 percent rise, driven by increased air travel, and fuel oil consumption grew by 6.1 percent.
Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) consumption decreased by 5.4 percent, with the petrochemical industry witnessing a 13.0 percent drop, while household LPG use went up by 1.8 percent. The industrial sector's LPG consumption increased by 0.5 percent, and self-use rose by 6.3 percent. Natural gas and natural gasoline consumption also fell by 5.1 percent, primarily due to decreased electricity generation needs.
Coal and lignite consumption decreased by 2.7 percent, with coal usage dropping by 5.3 percent, attributed to reduced demand from Small Power Producer (SPP) power plants and the industrial sector. Conversely, lignite consumption for electricity generation by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) increased by 7.2 percent.
Electricity consumption totaled 157,976 gigawatt-hours for the first nine months of 2025, a decrease of 3.3 percent. Industrial electricity use declined by 2.4 percent, household consumption by 5.7 percent, and business consumption by 3.6 percent. The peak electricity demand was recorded on April 24, 2025, at 34,620 megawatts, a 5.9 percent decrease from the previous year.
CO2 emissions from energy use totaled 180.9 million tons, a reduction of 3.5 percent. Emissions from electricity generation decreased by 7.8 percent, the transportation sector by 0.7 percent, and the industrial sector by 1.1 percent. Other sectors saw a 0.1 percent reduction in emissions.