Phuket leads southern power demand as PEA expands substation network
Wacharin Prapha, Manager of the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) Phuket office, reported current electricity use on the island at 573 megawatts (MW), the highest among the 14 southern provinces.
Phuket recorded electricity use of 573 megawatts on May 10, 2026, the highest in Southern Thailand, as the Provincial Electricity Authority moves ahead with a multibillion-baht expansion of the island’s power network. PEA Phuket Manager Wacharin Prapha said demand is projected to reach about 900MW by 2036, prompting five new substations and wider transmission upgrades.
Phuket’s current load is above Songkhla at about 555MW, Surat Thani at 476MW and Nakhon Sri Thammarat at around 371MW. Total demand across the South is estimated at roughly 3,100MW.
New substations target pressure points across the island
The first new substation opened in Kathu near Prince of Songkla University on Wednesday, May 6. Three more are scheduled for completion in 2027 in Kamala, Rawai and Laguna in Cherng Talay, with a fifth planned for Phuket Town in 2029.
Phuket now operates 11 substations, but officials said rising business activity after COVID-19 has pushed capacity closer to its limits. Deputy Manager Wissnu Masphermpong said electricity availability has become a requirement for business licensing because operators must show adequate load capacity and a stable system before approval.
The Kathu site is equipped with two 50-megavolt-ampere transformers, giving it about 100MW of capacity. It is designed to redistribute load from Patong and Phuket Town while reserving room for future demand.
Patong’s substation is already operating at more than 80% of capacity, officials said, increasing the risk of transformer problems. A second major facility in Kamala is intended to support Cherng Talay and Laguna, which are now supplied largely from Patong through long-distance lines vulnerable to terrain and natural-disaster disruptions.
Budget data and tariff changes show wider energy shift
Wacharin and Wissnu declined to confirm the total budget for the island-wide upgrade, but procurement records show the scale of the spending. E-bidding documents published on Feb. 28, 2024 list individual Phuket substation projects with budgets ranging from more than B213 million to B472 million, without identifying which site matches each allocation.
Some planned facilities in Cherng Talay and southern areas may begin as temporary substations before later conversion to permanent installations. Officials said land and project approvals have already been secured for southern expansion zones including Rawai and nearby growth areas.
A national energy policy approved this week will also restructure residential electricity tariffs from June, capping the first 200 units at no more than B3 per unit and applying tiered pricing to higher consumption. The policy also promotes rooftop solar under a net billing scheme that pays B2.20 per unit for excess power sold back to the grid, though residential systems typically cost B120,000 to B250,000 to install.
Source: https://www.thephuketnews.com/power-play-phuket-tops-south-in-demand-rolls-out-b1bn-substation-push-100121.php
