Thailand has taken a bold step towards achieving its climate goals by pledging to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30% against Business-as-Usual (BAU) levels by 2030. However, with most of its electricity generated from fossil fuels, the country needs to transition to renewable energy to achieve its targets. To support Thailand in this transition, the Thai-German Cooperation on Energy, Mobility, and Climate (TGC EMC) was established.

The TGC EMC Programme is a collaborative effort between Thailand and Germany with the goal of expediting Thailand’s transition to sustainable economic growth in the field of energy. The programme encompasses five components, namely biomass, renewable energy, industry, transportation, and finance. The biomass component focuses on increasing Thailand’s share of renewable energy by promoting and utilising agricultural residues (from rice straw, sugarcane leaves, and others), as viable biomass resources for sustainable and renewable energy production. By harnessing biomass as an energy source, numerous advantages are expected to be achieved, including the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in both the agricultural and energy sectors, diversification of farmers’ income, and mitigation of air pollution.

During the biomass component’s preparation phase in 2023, GIZ and King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT) organised a one-day Operational Planning Workshop of the TGC EMC Biomass component on 3 May 2023. The event aimed to set up a dialogue with partners from various departments, including the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, the Land Development Department, the Rice Department, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Agriculture Extension, the Office of Agricultural Economics, the Agricultural Land Reform Office, the Office of the Cane and Sugar Board, the Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency, and the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning.

The objective of the workshop was to provide a project update, gather feedback and suggestions on proposed activities, and develop an implementation plan that aligns with the policies of each partner. This event also served as a platform for stakeholders to meet and discuss the progress and future of the TGC EMC Biomass project.

The workshop featured presentations on the TGC EMC Programme and its Biomass Component, as well as group discussions on planned activities on topics such as supply chains, carbon credits and MRV (Measurable, Reportable and Verifiable), technology and business models. This facilitated a common understanding of the project’s objectives and enabled participants to align their plans accordingly. Concluding the workshop, an operational plan for the first year (2023-2024) was established, outlining the next steps for the project. The joint implementation of these steps will be implemented by GIZ and King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT).