Ms. Lalida Peritswiwattana, Deputy Spokesperson of the Prime Minister's Office, stated that the government has continuously managed diesel prices throughout 2026 to reduce the impact of global energy market volatility on the cost of living and business costs. The Energy Policy Administration Committee, under the Ministry of Energy's policy, cut the refinery price for high-speed diesel B0, B7 and B20 by 4 baht per litre from 16 September to 31 October 2026, after earlier cuts of 5 baht per litre between 24 April and 9 May, then 3 baht per litre between 10 and 19 May, and 2.40 baht per litre between 24 July and 15 August respectively. Mr. Ekanat Prompan, Minister of Energy, is closely monitoring the situation. According to the Energy Policy and Planning Office's price structure data as of 18 September 2026, ordinary high-speed diesel receives a refinery price discount of 4 baht per litre and compensation of 8.62 baht per litre from the Fuel Fund, bringing the retail price to 40.69 baht per litre in Bangkok and its vicinity, excluding the local maintenance tax. Without the refinery price discount, the retail price would face upward pressure of about 4.28 baht per litre including value-added tax, or about 44.97 baht per litre, and without both the discount and the Fuel Fund compensation, the price would face total upward pressure of about 13.50 baht per litre, or about 54.19 baht per litre. Both figures are hypothetical calculations based on the price structure as of 18 September 2026 to illustrate the scale of the measures only, not announced prices or actual price forecasts. On regional comparison, the Energy Policy and Planning Office's average ASEAN oil price data for 18 September 2026 showed Thailand's diesel price at 40.69 baht per litre, lower than the general market prices in the same data set for Malaysia at 42.96 baht per litre and Indonesia at 44.73 baht per litre, or about 2.27 baht and 4.04 baht per litre lower respectively, while Vietnam stood at 40.75 baht per litre, close to Thailand. In the same data set, the office showed Thailand's diesel price change rate at 35.9 percent, compared with Malaysia at 80.0 percent and Indonesia at 77.4 percent, based on the methodology of that infographic. Ms. Lalida stressed that international oil price comparisons must be considered comprehensively, because each country has different tax structures, fuel quality, exchange rates, subsidy systems and eligible groups, and the above comparison refers to general market prices under the office's data set and does not mean Thai diesel is cheaper than all types of subsidised prices in the two countries. Regarding the outstanding loan amount of approximately 50 billion baht, Ms. Lalida said the status still needs to be clearly verified as to whether it is an unallocated credit line, a committed amount, or an amount that can be reconsidered, and stressed that the amount permitted by law is not money the government must spend in full. The Thai Help Thai Plus project, which plans to extend its measures, aims to ease the cost of living, maintain purchasing power, care for vulnerable groups and help money circulate to small shops, while the 60/40 project still covers participating public transport services.
Thailand's government cut refinery diesel prices by 4 baht/litre through 31 October 2026, a demand-side/subsidy measure that lowers refined fuel prices and weighs on distillate/heating-oil-linked pricing.
