Thailand’s EEC tops Southeast Asian manufacturing hub ranking
The Chon Buri–Rayong area has more than 13,000 MW of power capacity, while Thailand and Indonesia each have three entries in the top 10.
- Thailand's Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) was ranked the top manufacturing hub in Southeast Asia by SEAsia Stats Research, based on its integrated industrial area power capacity of over 13,000 megawatts (MW).
- The ranking placed Vietnam’s VSIP Industrial System second with over 10,000 MW and Malaysia’s Bintulu Industrial Area third with 8,000 MW.
- Power capacity was used as a key metric for the ranking, as it has become a critical factor for attracting investment in electricity-intensive industries like data centers, electronics, and electric vehicles.
- Overall, Thailand and Indonesia each had three industrial areas in the top 10, highlighting the strong regional competition to become a leading manufacturing base.
Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) ranked first in SEAsia Stats Research’s Top Manufacturing Hubs in Southeast Asia by Integrated Industrial Area, with more than 13,000 megawatts (MW) of power capacity in the Chon Buri–Rayong area.
Vietnam’s VSIP Industrial System took second place.
Spread across several locations nationwide, it has more than 10,000 MW of power capacity.
Malaysia’s Bintulu Industrial Area followed in third place with 8,000 MW.
These figures reflect the scale of each area’s industrial base, particularly the EEC, which is a strategic investment zone for Thailand and home to many large industrial operations in Chon Buri and Rayong.
Indonesia makes a strong showing with three top-10 entries
Indonesia accounted for three of the top 10 entries.
The Jababeka-Cikarang Industrial Cluster ranked fourth, with more than 5,600 MW of power capacity.
It was followed by the Karawang Industrial Cluster in fifth place with more than 3,200 MW and the Batam Industrial Zone in seventh with more than 2,000 MW.
Singapore’s Jurong Industrial Estate ranked sixth, with 3,000 MW of power capacity.
The overall picture reflects competition among ASEAN countries to accelerate the development of industrial areas and infrastructure to accommodate new investment and the relocation of manufacturing bases into the region.
Thailand places three industrial areas in the top 10
Besides the first-ranked EEC, Thailand had two other industrial areas in the top 10.
Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate in Rayong ranked eighth, with more than 1,700 MW, while AMATA City Chonburi Industrial Estate, located in Chon Buri, ranked ninth, with more than 1,600 MW.
Malaysia’s Penang Industrial Zone ranked 10th, with more than 1,000 MW.
By number of ranked areas, Thailand and Indonesia each had three, Malaysia had two, and Vietnam and Singapore each had one.
However, the EEC’s power-capacity figure should not be added directly to those for Map Ta Phut and AMATA City Chonburi, because both industrial estates are in the eastern region and linked to the EEC, meaning the areas counted may overlap.
Power capacity becomes another advantage in the investment race
Competition to attract investment in ASEAN today is no longer judged solely on labour costs, land or logistics.
Power availability has become another factor in investors’ decisions, particularly for electricity-intensive industries that require a stable power system.
Data centres, electronics, electric vehicles, batteries, petrochemicals and factories using automated systems all require high levels of power capacity.
The EEC’s first-place ranking, with more than 13,000 MW of power capacity, therefore reflects one of the strengths of eastern Thailand’s industrial region.
The next challenge, however, is not merely to have enough electricity.
Electricity costs, system reliability and access to clean power will become increasingly important, particularly as multinational companies and technology-sector businesses set stricter carbon-reduction requirements for their production chains.
With Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia closing the gap, the advantage provided by energy infrastructure will be another key variable in determining the extent to which Thailand can maintain its position as a leading manufacturing base in ASEAN in the years ahead.
