On 19th March 2025, at the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue (BETD) in Germany, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and the Thai Ministry of Energy (MoEN) signed a Joint Declaration of Intent (JDoI), officially establishing the Thai-German Energy Dialogue (TGED) – bilateral cooperation between the two countries on energy transition and economic development. Representing Thailand and Germany at the ceremony were Samerjai Suksumek, Advisor to MoEN; and Udo Philipp, Parliamentary State Secretary of BMWK. The signing event also featured an exchange between the two countries on the energy sector, including challenges and opportunities for further cooperation via the Dialogue.

Signing of the JDoI by Samerjai Suksumek (left), Advisor to the MoEN; and Udo Philipp (right), Parliamentary State Secretary of BMWK; with Jittipat Tongprasert (middle), the Thai Ambassador to Germany acting as witness

Exchange on TGED progress, impacts and outlook

Revisiting TGED’s past progress & achievements
Bilateral partnerships and dialogues are a crucial part in the international efforts for climate action, decarbonisation and sustainable development. Since 2023, TGED has united high-level policymakers, experts and representatives from the private sector and the energy sector from Germany and Thailand in knowledge exchange and discussions. This is in line with TGED’s aim to improve mutual cooperation and efforts between the two countries towards impactful energy system transformation and economic development via high-level governmental and expert exchange and activities.

In 2022, an exchange between Dr Nicole Glanemann, Deputy Head of the South and Southeast Asia Division of BMWK, Germany, and Dr Poonpat Leesombatpiboon, former Director of the International Affairs Division, Ministry of Energy (MoEN), Thailand, envisaged TGED as a dialogue to reinforce cooperation between Germany and Thailand on energy transition and economic development. The first steps in mobilising this initiative eventually led to the TGED kick-off meeting in May 2023, where the operational plan was first discussed and developed.

As part of bilateral cooperation between Thailand and Germany under the Climate and Energy Partnerships Programme (CEP), TGED conducted activities in 2023 and 2024 to achieve its goals. The activities ranged from organising exchange platforms for representatives from governmental agencies and the private sector to seminars, conferences, study projects and other activities in coordination with experts from both partner countries. In this regard, TGED has been working with representatives from various Thai political agencies in the energy sector, including the Office of the Permanent Secretary (OPS), Energy Policy and Planning Office (EPPO), Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency (DEDE), Office of Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) and Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT).

Since its initiation, TGED has worked towards several key impact areas.

1. Accelerating Thailand’s decarbonisation: TGED aligns itself closely with the National Energy Plan (NEP) in support of Thailand’s transition towards energy efficiency and low-carbon industries. In 2023, the Dialogue conducted a survey on Thai and German companies with active decarbonisation practices.

2. Promoting renewable energy: TGED organised a workshop on agrivoltaics on 28^th September 2023, showcasing techno-economic feasibility, business models, and international best practices. Invited to introduce the concept and share their insights on agrivoltaics were experts from SGTech, the Fraunhaufer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE and PSE Projects GmbH.

3. Fostering private sector engagement and cooperation via public-private discussion and roundtables. Ahead of accelerating Thailand’s decarbonisation, a business roundtable on ‘Industrial Decarbonisation’ was conducted in June 2023 with the aim of enhancing cooperation between German and Thai companies, highlighting energy efficiency and carbon pricing as key incentives.

4. Supporting energy efficiency: TGED works to bolster discussions and engagement among key actors and stakeholders. The ‘German Energy Efficiency Technologies and Solutions for Industry Decarbonisation’ conference on 8^th October 2024 invited high-level policymakers and experts from Germany and Thailand to an in-depth discussion on innovative solutions and approaches towards decarbonisation, and energy efficiency in the industrial sector. The ‘Introduction to Germany’s Energy Efficiency Network (EEN) Initiative’ webinar on 9^th December 2024 explored the concept and success stories of the EEN in promoting energy efficiency good practice, policy and activities in the private sector through case studies from Germany.

(Left) ‘German Energy Efficiency Technologies and Solutions for Industry Decarbonisation’ conference on 8th October 2024; and (Right) ‘Introduction to Germany’s Energy Efficiency Network (EEN) Initiative’ webinar on 9th December 2024

5. Advancing inclusion: TGED has also worked on this topic as bilateral cooperation for energy transition. In October 2024, TGED together with the Clean, Affordable and Secure Energy for Southeast Asia (CASE) project organised the ‘Women in Energy’ event with the aim of strengthening networks among women in energy and fostering discussions on leadership and career development as well as their roles in energy transition.

What is next for TGED?
This formalisation of TGED marks a significant milestone in the project’s prospective contribution to bilateral cooperation in the energy sector between the two countries. Additionally, it helps the project explore and engage with new partners and areas for further exchange and collaboration.
With cooperation between implementing partners reinforced, TGED is geared up to explore various new or existing topics with the potential for continuous mutual exchange and cooperation at a bilateral level. In the same regard, the network can also serve as a communication platform between BMWK and the MoEN in sharing updates on energy initiatives and project results, contributing to energy transition at bilateral and international levels.