The Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) has announced a transformative plan to enhance the city’s landscape by burying a staggering 1,454 kilometers of electrical wires underground over the next decade. With the goal of serving more than 14 million people residing in Bangkok, Nonthaburi, and Samut Prakan, the agency aims to optimize electric power services through the implementation of smart technology, enabling more efficient management of the electricity system.
MEA Governor Wilas Chaloeysat revealed the details of the ambitious project at a press conference held in anticipation of the authority’s 65th anniversary on August 1. The focus of the initiative, dubbed the “smarter metro grids and smarter meters” project, lies in making electricity services more convenient and intelligent for the urban population.
Conducting an extensive survey along major roads in the city and its vicinity, the MEA identified more than 1,000 kilometers of cable wires that require subterranean placement. The authority plans to complete this comprehensive underground wiring project within the next ten years, primarily targeting areas along Skytrain and metro train lines. Already, 91 kilometers of electric wires have been successfully placed underground, covering significant business zones and roadways, such as in Sathon district.
As part of the expansion plan, the MEA aims to extend the underground wiring coverage by an additional 236.1 kilometers by 2027, ultimately relocating a total length of 1,454 kilometers into underground pipes. It intends to increase the deployment of smart meters from the current 33,265 sets to as many as 441,400 sets by 2027 to further help detect system errors and resolve power usage issues.
With projections indicating the presence of 6.6 million electric cars in Thailand by 2037, the MEA recently rolled out EV charging stations, introduced smart charging systems for households, and developed transformer load monitoring to prevent electricity overloads.