Govt, US private set to ink LOI on clean energy
The Cabinet has approved a letter of intent (LOI) to spur the Clean Energy Demand Initiative between the Thai government and the US private sector.
Government deputy spokeswoman Ratchada Thanadirek said on Tuesday after a Cabinet meeting that the signing ceremony would take place on Thursday at the 2nd United States-Thailand Energy Policy Dialogue.
The LOI reflects joint determination by Thailand and the US to push for investment in the kingdom by investors who have the capability to find and use clean energy, she said.
The US will get its private sector to operate in Thailand while the Thai government will provide support in the search for and use of clean energy under related regulations and laws.
The government will back the use of clean energy under these guidelines:
- Push for an efficient clean energy market with competitive pricing
- Set up appropriate policies for clean energy
- Promote an environmental status certificate for trading in clean energy, and
- Support policies and infrastructure for efficient use of electricity.
So far 19 top companies have shown an interest, with expected investment of around $2.38 billion (THB77 billion). They are HP, Apple, Akamai, Meta Platforms, Johnson & Johnson, Nike, Dow, Iron Mountain, Inter Ikea Group, Lululemon, Spiber, Ralph Lauren Corporation, Unilever, TAL Apparel, Amer Sports, Rife International, Amazon, WeWork and TCI.