Anutin defends govt solar rooftop loan plan

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has defended the government's household solar rooftop scheme against opposition criticism of its proposed 200-billion-baht loan package, insisting that the initiative is not a "blank cheque".

Mr Anutin said public funds would only be drawn down when eligible households participate in the scheme.

Speaking on his weekly programme on Saturday, Mr Anutin said the scheme was part of a wider restructuring of Thailand's energy sector, rather than simply offering short-term relief from electricity bills.

The initial target is one million households, each eligible for 50,000 baht in support.

Greater use of domestic renewable energy, including solar, wind, waste and agricultural materials, would reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels and exposure to global energy price volatility, he said.

Households generating their own electricity could lower their power bills and sell surplus electricity back to the authorities, creating additional income while reducing the need to build large-scale power plants.

Mr Anutin said the 200-billion-baht borrowing framework did not mean the government would immediately draw down the entire amount. The solar scheme would require 50 billion baht if all one million households participated. Any unused allocation would not need to be borrowed, and interest would only become payable once funds were drawn down.

"The loan will only be used when people participate. There is no interest burden until the money is actually withdrawn," he said.

Rejecting accusations that the borrowing amounted to a blank cheque, he accused opposition critics of lacking information and research and seeking only to attack and bully the government.