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Electricity consumption surged by 3.2 per cent to 145.76 billion units in the first 10 months of this year, as demand increased in all economic sectors, except agriculture, which had been slammed by the drought.
The Energy Policy and Planning Office of the Energy Ministry projects electricity consumption to increase 3.1 per cent to 173.86 billion units for the full year, which will be in line with the rise in economic growth and domestic spending.
Thawarat Sutabutra, director of the EPPO, said yesterday that electricity production increased 2.8 per cent to 160.64 billion units in the first 10 months from the same period last year.
Thailand is still relying heavily on natural gas for electricity generation, but the government has a policy to encourage greater use of renewable energy.

SOMYOT REDUCES AQ STAKE
Pol General Somyot Pumpanmuang, former national police chief, unloaded a 3.95-per-cent stake in AQ Asset, formerly known as Krisda Mahanakorn, on the over-the-counter market on Monday, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Trading in AQ is now suspended for its failure to submit financial statements for the period ended on September 30. Its latest share price was 22 satang. However, Somyot still has an 11.84-per-cent stake in AQ.
Meanwhile, Surachai Chetchotisak, chairman and chief executive officer of RS, a leading entertainment firm, has acquired 0.39 per cent of the company, bringing his holding in the company to 35.24 per cent.

SIX MORE FIRMS PLAN IPOS
Six more companies are likely to list on the bourse during the rest of the year, pushing IPO market capitalisation past Bt250 billion as targeted this year.
So far, the market cap of initial-public-offering shares this year has reached Bt229 billion, while there are still six potential companies for listing on the Stock Exchange of Thailand and the Market for Alternative Investment (MAI). They include Star Petroleum Refining, Amata VN and Tao Kae Noi Food and Marketing.
“For the MAI, we expect the market cap of IPO shares will reach Bt17 billion, higher than the target of Bt13.2 billion,” Prapan Charoenprawat, president of the MAI, said yesterday. This year has seen 11 firms listing on the MAI and two more – TAC Consumer and Kingsmen CMTI – are in the pipeline.