IEA chief backs Thailand’s energy path as Anutin seeks deeper ties and OECD support
PM Anutin meets IEA chief Fatih Birol in Paris to boost energy security, clean power cooperation and Thailand’s OECD bid
Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has met International Energy Agency Executive Director Dr Fatih Birol in Paris, seeking to strengthen Thailand’s energy security, accelerate the transition to clean energy and build wider strategic cooperation between Thailand and the IEA.
The meeting took place at 2pm local time on Friday, May 22, 2026, at the IEA headquarters in Paris, France, where the local time was five hours behind Thailand. The talks focused on how Thailand and the IEA can work more closely at a time when energy security, fuel prices and the global shift towards cleaner power are becoming increasingly central to economic planning.
Government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek said after the meeting that Birol had praised Thailand’s energy policy direction, describing it as being on the right track and in line with the global energy situation, which is facing growing challenges. He particularly welcomed Thailand’s move to accelerate a review of energy policies and push the clean-energy transition in a more concrete way.
According to Rachada, the IEA confirmed that it was ready to fully support Thailand through academic cooperation, knowledge-sharing, technology, technical assistance and links with global energy business networks.
Energy security while easing living costs
Anutin told the IEA that the Thai government was giving priority to energy security while also trying to ease the cost-of-living burden on the public. He said the government was working to manage energy costs and speed up the country’s energy transition through renewable energy, greater energy efficiency, battery energy storage systems and a more modern power grid.
These efforts, he said, were designed to support sustainable economic growth in the future.
Thailand has also been seeking new cooperation to diversify its energy import sources and strengthen national energy security. The government has introduced measures to cushion the impact of global energy volatility, including improving oil reserve management, diversifying crude oil and liquefied natural gas imports, increasing domestic refining capacity and using the Oil Fuel Fund to stabilise prices.
Other measures include improving the country’s energy transport and distribution systems, promoting electricity generation from alternative energy sources and expanding support for small power producers.
Thailand seeks broader IEA cooperation
Anutin also reaffirmed Thailand’s readiness to upgrade cooperation with the IEA in all areas, particularly in energy capacity-building, policy dialogue on energy security and emergency response drills for energy crises.
He also underlined Thailand’s ambition to apply for permanent IEA membership in the future.
The latest talks build on an existing Thailand-IEA cooperation framework for 2026–2027, which covers areas such as energy data and statistics, emergency preparedness, energy efficiency, policy modelling, renewable energy, electricity and digital systems, low-carbon technology and greenhouse gas reduction.
Support sought for OECD membership bid
The prime minister also asked the IEA to support Thailand’s accession process to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD.
Birol assured him that the IEA was ready to fully support Thailand in the process.
Thailand’s OECD bid has become a wider reform and diplomacy agenda for the government. The OECD Council decided to open accession discussions with Thailand on June 17, 2024, with the process involving policy dialogue and efforts to bring Thailand’s laws, policies and practices closer to OECD standards.
Gastech 2026 to become next platform for cooperation
At the end of the meeting, Anutin invited the IEA chief to attend Gastech 2026 in Bangkok in September. Birol immediately accepted the invitation, and both sides agreed to use the event as another opportunity to deepen energy cooperation.
Gastech 2026 is regarded as one of the world’s largest exhibitions and conferences for natural gas, liquefied natural gas, hydrogen and alternative energy. It is expected to attract tens of thousands of participants from more than 150 countries.
The official Gastech website currently lists the 2026 exhibition and conference as taking place at BITEC Bangkok from September 14–17, with the event covering natural gas and LNG, low-carbon solutions, shipping and marine, hydrogen, and AI-related energy solutions.
