News and Updates

The Finance Ministry is set to propose a carbon tax for cabinet approval on December 11. Speaking at the Sustainability Forum 2025 seminar, Kulaya Tantitemit, director-general of the Excise Department, said the implementation of the carbon tax would not affect operators or consumers of oil and petroleum products because the overall tax burden on oil and petroleum products will remain the same. The department will simply adjust the proportion of the tax on oil and petroleum products and incorporate the carbon tax into the oil and petroleum tax structure, she said.

The department will simply adjust the proportion of the tax on oil and petroleum products and incorporate the carbon tax into the oil and petroleum tax structure, she said.

According to Ms Kulaya, the department's proposal calls for a carbon tax rate of 200 baht per tonne of carbon. 

*This excerpt is from a news item collated by SIPET as part of its mission to serve as a one-stop platform for information and knowledge exchange about the energy transition in Southeast Asia. For the full news item, click on the link next to 'Further Information' . 

**Photo credit: Bangkok Post

Outside the islands of Java and Bali, and particularly in the less developed eastern regions of Indonesia, many people still have no access to electricity. The “1000 Islands” programme utilises small hydropower plants and solar mini-grids to contribute to environmentally sound and climate-friendly energy supply and thus to social and economic development in remote regions of Indonesia.

The Vietnam Low Emission Energy Program (V-LEEP), funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is designed to assist the Government of Vietnam (GVN) in establishing an effective policy, regulatory, and incentive environment for low-emission growth in the energy sector, while simultaneously attracting public- and private sector investment in renewable energy development and industrial energy efficiency.

Thailand plans to offer tax incentives for plug-in hybrid vehicle manufacturing, with the changes to take effect from 2026 if they are approved, Deputy Finance Minister Paopoom Rojanasakul said on Monday.

Under the plans, tax collection would be based on the travel range per battery charge for a vehicle, with lower taxes for a longer travel range, Paopoom said, adding the proposal would be sent to cabinet by April.

*This excerpt is from a news item collated by SIPET as part of its mission to serve as a one-stop platform for information and knowledge exchange about the energy transition in Southeast Asia. For the full news item, click on the link next to 'Further Information' . 

**Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

More than two dozen foreign and Vietnamese investors, including Adani Green Energy, have warned Vietnam's plans to retroactively change rules on subsidised prices for wind and solar energy could affect more than $13 billion of investments.

In a letter to Vietnamese leaders dated March 5 and reviewed by Reuters, the investors expressed "deep alarm" about the possible end of favourable energy tariffs, noting the policy change could undermine broader financial stability and erode confidence in Vietnam at a time when the country plans to significantly expand its renewables capacity.

*This excerpt is from a news item collated by SIPET as part of its mission to serve as a one-stop platform for information and knowledge exchange about the energy transition in Southeast Asia. For the full news item, click on the link next to 'Further Information' . 

**Photo credit: Reuters

Thailand’s cabinet has approved a carbon tax on gasoline, diesel, and LPG, aiming to reduce pollution, including PM2.5 particulate matter, while initially avoiding direct impact on fuel prices, a government spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Deputy government spokesperson Karom Phonphonklang stated that the cabinet endorsed the carbon tax as a mandatory price mechanism to raise awareness and encourage responsibility for carbon emissions among businesses and the public, mitigating the impact of climate change. He added that businesses exporting goods to countries with carbon border adjustment mechanisms (CBAM) could use the tax for potential fee reductions.

*This excerpt is from a news item collated by SIPET as part of its mission to serve as a one-stop platform for information and knowledge exchange about the energy transition in Southeast Asia. For the full news item, click on the link next to 'Further Information' . 

**Photo credit: Pattaya Mail