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Local electricity market restructuring and flexible distribution network under regulatory uncertainty in Thailand |
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| รหัสดีโอไอ | |
| Title | Local electricity market restructuring and flexible distribution network under regulatory uncertainty in Thailand |
| Creator | Paphangkon Thainthadaphat |
| Contributor | Nopbhorn Leeprechanon, Advisor |
| Publisher | Thammasat University |
| Publication Year | 2568 |
| Keyword | Electricity market restructuring, Renewable energy communities, Third party access (TPA), Direct power purchase agreement, Direct PPA, Distribution system pperator (DSO), Flexibility services |
| Abstract | Thailand’s electricity sector is undergoing a major transition driven by decarbonization policies, increasing penetration of distributed energy resources (DERs), digitalization, and growing demand for clean electricity procurement. Unlike many advanced economies that liberalized electricity markets through fully competitive wholesale systems, Thailand is attempting to enable decentralized electricity participation within the constraints of the Enhanced Single Buyer (ESB) structure and an evolving regulatory environment. As DER penetration increases, operational challenges such as bidirectional power flows, voltage instability, local congestion, limited grid visibility, and flexibility coordination are becoming increasingly concentrated at the distribution-network level.This dissertation investigates how Thailand can transition toward a more decentralized, flexible, and competitive distribution-level electricity market under conditions of regulatory uncertainty and partial market liberalization. The study examines the interconnected development of electricity market restructuring, Third Party Access (TPA), Direct Power Purchase Agreements (Direct PPAs), local electricity markets, flexibility services, and the evolving role of Distribution System Operators (DSOs). Particular attention is given to the institutional and operational transformation required for distribution utilities to support active network management, flexibility procurement, market facilitation, and non-discriminatory network access while maintaining system reliability and fairness.The research adopts a qualitative policy-analytic and comparative institutional methodology integrating regulatory analysis, international comparative assessment, conceptual framework synthesis, and system architecture development. International experiences and regulatory frameworks from the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, and other jurisdictions are comparatively analyzed to evaluate their applicability to Thailand’s electricity transition pathway.The dissertation identifies several critical barriers to Thailand’s electricity transition, including fragmented operational coordination, limited hosting-capacity practices, insufficient flexibility-service integration, unclear DSO governance and neutrality arrangements, inadequate digital infrastructure, and evolving balancing and settlement mechanisms. In response, the study proposes an integrated framework for flexibility-oriented distribution-system operation and decentralized electricity participation under Thailand’s partially centralized electricity structure. The proposed framework clarifies the roles of DSOs, transmission system operators (TSOs), aggregators, suppliers, balance responsible parties (BRPs), and local market participants while emphasizing regulatory coordination, interoperability, and transparent market governance.This dissertation contributes to the literature on electricity transition governance by demonstrating that electricity market restructuring in developing countries cannot be separated from the transformation of distribution-system operation, institutional coordination, and flexibility-oriented regulatory design. The findings provide policy-relevant insights for Thailand’s electricity reform agenda and offer transferable lessons for other developing countries pursuing decentralized and low-carbon electricity transitions under regulatory and institutional constraints. |
