After much buzz and anticipation in the Thai energy industry, the Energy Regulatory Commission has finally published (i) the official Regulations for Purchasing Electricity from Renewable Energy Sources under a Feed-in-Tariff Scheme between 2022-2030 for Power Plants with No Fuel Costs on 27 September 2022, and (ii) the official Invitation Notifications for Purchasing Electricity from Renewable Energy Sources under a Feed-in-Tariff Scheme between 2022-2030 for Power Plants with No Fuel Costs, specifying the bidding process and timeline of each type of renewable power plant on 30 September 2022. In keeping with Thailand’s commitment to increase renewable energy’s share in the country’s overall power mix to at least 50% by 2050 and achieve carbon neutrality and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and 2065, respectively, the government will be accepting bids in November to purchase power generated from renewable energy sources in the years between 2024 to 2030.

Following the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26) in November 2021, almost 200 countries, including Thailand, announced their climate goals and made commitments to tackle climate change. Thailand has pledged to be carbon neutral by 2050 and reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2065. To support the government’s policy in this direction, various government agencies and public organizations, such as the Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organization, have been actively progressing efforts to realize Thailand’s sustainability goals through various schemes and measures that they are empowered to do under the relevant laws.

Governance plays a key role in protecting a company from undesirable misconduct and may help to mitigate some of the consequences of non-compliance, whether in terms of civil or criminal liabilities of the company itself or its board of directors.This article explores ESG from the corporate governance and management perspective.