The story. After Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz — the shipping chokepoint that handles half of Thailand's crude oil and 30% of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports — Bangkok ordered coal plants to run at full capacity and told state-owned PTT Exploration and Production to maximize Gulf of Thailand gas output (Mongabay). The government gave its energy ministry one week to find replacement supplies.

The bigger picture. The crisis hits a grid already saturated with fossil fuels. Gas generated 123.3 TWh of Thailand's electricity in 2025 — more than five times its combined solar, wind, and hydro output of 21 TWh (Ember). Coal added another 33.6 TWh. That mix gives Thailand a carbon intensity — the CO2 emitted per unit of electricity — of 546 grams per kWh, roughly 19% above the 458 g/kWh world average and close to the 565 g/kWh ASEAN figure (Ember, 2025). Running coal harder and pulling more domestic gas pushes that number the wrong way just as Thailand is meant to be cutting net greenhouse gas emissions 47% by 2035 under its Paris pledge (Mongabay). The directive also reveals what energy expert Tara Buakamsri called a "structural vulnerability": Thailand is still chasing fossil molecules across oceans rather than building domestic renewables.

The tension. Swapping Middle Eastern oil for U.S. LNG solves the supply panic but, as Mongabay reports, costs more — risking a return to late-2024's record household bills while extending the very dependence the crisis exposed.