Restructuring the electricity industry in emerging countries – Thanawadee Jaem On and Nicha Saiped

There is no single way to organize the electricity industry at the world level. In the EU the industry is liberalized and the competitive segments are unbundled from those related to the management and planning of the grid. On the contrary, in countries such as Thailand one or few vertically integrated companies are responsible for the whole supply chain, i.e. from the generation to the transmission and distribution of electricity. Nicolò Rossetto (FSR) had the possibility to discuss it with Thanawadee Jaem On and Nicha Saiped, two engineers employed by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT). During the exchange of view, it came out that EGAT is facing challenges similar to those that utilities and regulators in Europe are trying to cope with (decentralization of power production, development of prosumers, digitalization). Interestingly enough, also in Thailand a change in gender balance is taking place with more and more women working in a sector traditionally populated by men.