Interior needs B20bn to lift road lights power bill off households

PUBLISHED : 28 Jun 2026 at 12:56

Deputy Interior Minister Polapee Suwunchwee will request a 20-billion-baht budget for the state to pay the power bill for road and government organisation lighting, as the government moves to end the decades-long practice of passing the cost of public lighting onto householders.

Mr Polapee said he would first discuss budgetary preparation with the energy minister, the Metropolitan Electricity Authority and the Provincial Electricity Authority.

He would then present a proposal to Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.

Bhumjaithai MP for Ratchaburi Akradet Wongpitakrote said he was thankful to Energy Minister Akanat Promphan, who exposed the four-decade-long burden of households paying for public area and road lighting through their monthly power bills.

In the past, no one had dared to speak out and take responsibility for the cost of public lighting, he said.

According to Mr Akanat, public lighting costs are charged to monthly household power bills at the rate of 0.10 baht per unit. This cost-passing started in 1987 at the rate of 0.02-0.03 baht per unit. If the practice continued, the rate could rise even further, and add to householders' burden.

He pointed out that government organisations do not currently pay for public lighting, so they have no incentive to install power-saving devices such as LED lamps to cut the cost.

Local administration organisations should pay for local street lighting in their areas because they collect local land and building taxes.

Mr Akanat said on Sunday he expected the removal of public lighting costs would lower householders’ power bills in either July or August. He also said the ruling Bhumjaithai Party intended to cap the household power tariff at three baht per unit.