The CoP workshop brought together representatives from the DEDE, EPPO, DCCE, EGAT, DOEB, Asia Clean Energy Partners, Enerdata, ERI and GIZ Thailand to exchange insights on data-driven energy planning

On 31 October 2025, GIZ Thailand, through its global project Partnerships for Accelerated Global Energy Transition (PACT), in collaboration with the Energy Policy and Planning Office (EPPO) under the Ministry of Energy, organised a Dissemination Event at the Sukosol Hotel, Bangkok, to highlight the achievement of the Community of Practice (CoP), and brought together government, academia and international partners to exchange insights on building Thailand’s data-driven energy transition.

Opening the event, Reukrit Kenharaj, Director of EPPO’s Information and Communication Technology Centre (ICT), reaffirmed Thailand’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and net-zero emissions by 2065. He stressed: “Effective energy planning requires dependable and diverse data, and no single institution can do this alone.” He noted that energy data remains fragmented across agencies and mentioned the idea of creating a central platform to improve coordination. Representing GIZ, Dr Dominika Kalinowska, Director of Transport Projects in Thailand, highlighted GIZ’s close collaboration with the EPPO and other Thai partners. She underscored that energy modelling is essential to Thailand’s energy transition and that the Community of Practice (CoP) serves as a strong platform to enhance data access, collaboration and modelling capacity under Thailand’s energy portfolio.

Opening remarks delivered by Reukrit Kenharaj, Director of the Information and Communication Technology Centre (ICT), EPPO (left), and Dr Dominika Kalinowska, Director of Transport Projects, GIZ Thailand (right), reaffirming commitment to Thailand’s energy transition

Before the technical session, Chatchanis Kasemwong, PACT Project Manager for Thailand, outlined the CoP’s objectives and progress. The CoP serves as a collaborative platform linking data owners, policymakers and modellers to strengthen data acquisition, close governance gaps, and advance digital integration to support Thailand’s long-term net-zero goals.

Collaboration in focus – (left) group photo featuring the EPPO, GIZ, and ERI, and (right) Chatchanis Kasemwong, PACT Project Manager for Thailand, presenting the progress of the PACT and CoP initiatives

An interactive session invited participants to identify Thailand’s key energy data challenges and priorities. The discussion highlighted major issues such as limited data sharing, inconsistent formats and confidentiality concerns. Participants agreed on the need for stronger governance and coordination, shared data standards and greater capacity in digital skills, reaffirming that coordination, standardisation and digital integration are central to Thailand’s data-driven energy transition.

Interactive session facilitated by Prin Kesapabutr, GIZ Thailand, with participants actively sharing views on energy data challenges and priorities

Zakia Adam, Statistics Manager for National Data Capacities at the International Energy Agency (IEA), emphasised that reliable and detailed energy data are essential for effective modelling and policy planning. She introduced the Energy Data Roadmap (assess, design, implement and monitor) as a guide for building coordinated and sustainable data systems and underscored the importance of high-quality energy data for accurate long-term planning. She highlighted that collaboration and capacity-building are key to strengthening national energy-data systems.

Zakia Adam, IEA, sharing global perspectives on strengthening energy data systems

Alessia De Vita, Technical Advisor for Long-Term Energy Planning and Renewable Energy Grid Integration at GET.transform, shared lessons from Europe’s experience in developing robust energy-data systems. She highlighted how integrated and open data ecosystems improve transparency, coordination and collaboration across sectors such as energy, industry and transport. Tools like the Integrated Database of the European Energy System (IDEES) Database ensure consistent and reliable modelling. In the ensuing discussion, Alessia noted that while AI would increasingly support energy data management, expert judgement remained essential for ensuring quality and meaningful insights.

Alessia De Vita, GET.transform, presenting lessons from Europe’s experience in developing integrated energy-data ecosystems

Dr Weerin Wangjiraniran from the Energy Research Institute (ERI), Chulalongkorn University, presented Thailand’s energy-data landscape, which remains fragmented across agencies. He introduced the concept of a ‘Build-Connect-Transform’ roadmap to enhance coordination, standardisation and digitalisation – beginning with building prototype databases and governance structures, linking datasets across institutions, and developing a digital platform using emerging technologies such as AI and digital twins to support data-driven policy and analysis.

Dr Weerin Wangjiraniran, ERI, presenting Thailand’s energy-data landscape, gap analysis, and the roadmap toward digital integration

In the subsequent discussion, participants raised questions on data transparency, privacy protection and user participation, emphasising the need for clear governance and incentives for data sharing. Dr Weerin noted that while energy modelling faces uncertainties such as technology costs and deployment, the greater challenge lies in implementation and data accessibility. He stressed that data and policy must evolve together, clarifying that the digital twin concept is intended for testing virtual prototypes to inform realistic, evidence-based policy decisions – underscoring that Thailand is ready to move from data collection to data connection, transforming it into a digital ecosystem.

In closing, Chatchanis emphasised that reliable data and strong collaboration are key to advancing Thailand’s energy transition and evidence-based policymaking. He also noted that the CoP on Data Acquisition for Thai Energy Modelling Report would be released by the end of 2025.