The "Energy Regulatory Commission" is preparing guidelines to be provided to electricity distribution companies to gradually refund electricity usage deposits, following the Cabinet's resolution, covering 21.5 million electricity users starting from March 2020. The focus is on granting rights to eligible individuals to receive their funds immediately, aiming to inject over 30 billion baht into the economy.

         Mr. Komkrit Tantawanich, Secretary-General of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), stated that the ERC expects that the electricity distribution companies, including the Metropolitan Electricity Authority and the Provincial Electricity Authority, will begin to gradually refund electricity usage deposits within this March. This will be based on the group of electricity users who are eligible first, covering approximately 21.5 million users nationwide, which represents a total amount of about 30 billion baht.

          “The ERC has convened discussions with the Metropolitan Electricity Authority and the Provincial Electricity Authority and has provided policies for refunding electricity usage deposits to electricity users of types 1 and 2, which number around 21.5 million nationwide, according to the Cabinet's resolution. The focus is on gradually refunding to eligible electricity users first, hoping to stimulate consumer spending and improve economic circulation. The ERC expects to expedite the issuance of guidelines and procedures for refunding electricity usage deposits within this month.”

          The refunding of electricity usage deposits is the latest measure from the ERC, which has been continuously working to enhance the protection of rights and create fairness for energy users. This includes ongoing improvements to contract standards to ensure fairness for both small and large electricity users, and the recent measure of refunding interest from mandatory electricity usage deposits, which began providing discounts on electricity bills for small users since February.

          The ERC's operational guidelines not only focus on creating fairness for energy users as broadly as possible but also consider the impact management and risk management strategies for electricity distribution businesses to ensure stability and quality of service.

          The refunding process, operational guidelines, steps for claiming refunds, and preparations for collaboration between the ERC and electricity distribution companies will be summarized in meetings to finalize the guidelines for the timely refunding of electricity usage deposits.

Source: Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC)