PPL Electric Utilities wins up to $71.5 million DOE grant for Montour grid project

The government is preparing to invest in a smart grid system, or intelligent power network, with short-term approval expected for a pilot project budget of approximately 10 billion to 20 billion baht, drawn from the 200 billion baht energy transition allocation under the 400 billion baht emergency loan decree. Concrete progress is expected to begin this year. Naphan Chaisaen, Deputy Managing Director of Research and a fundamental investment analyst covering the capital market at Bualuang Securities, told Than Hoon that the medium-term smart grid roadmap for 2022 to 2031 consists of five pillars. The first is Demand Response, which will replace household electricity meters with millions of smart meters, starting in high-usage areas such as Bangkok, its vicinity, major cities, and industrial estates in Rayong and Chachoengsao. Companies with potential in this area are FORTH, SKY, INSET, ALT, and PCC. Next is RE Forecasting, which involves system integrators such as TKC, SECURE, and SAMART. Then comes Microgrid and Prosumer, with GUNKUL and BGRIM. Next is ESS, or energy storage systems, with EA and GPSC. Finally, EV Integration involves FORTH and EA. Investment in the smart grid can also be accelerated without waiting for full clarity on the new Power Development Plan, and it will serve as key infrastructure to support the massive electricity consumption of data centers in the future without affecting electricity costs or the stability of power supply for the general public.

UBS economist Jonathan Pingle said in a note on Thursday that the pickup in U.S. business investment and manufacturing is more dependent on the artificial intelligence boom than many investors realize. Pingle wrote that signs of broader growth have emerged this year, with the broadening theme most clearly visible in orders and shipments data, but much of that strength traces back to AI, describing the AI buildout as a rising tide lifting all boats. Traditional industrial firms are seeing more demand because of the AI buildout, with GE Vernova making gas turbines that power data centers and Caterpillar reporting strong generator sales, while demand has also spread to inputs such as steel, machinery, wiring and cable. UBS said this suggests the rest of the economy would be weaker without AI spending, and Pingle wrote that the expansion is more reliant on the AI and tech capex buildout than ever, with implications for growth, risks and monetary policy. He added that GDP growth, business investment and inventories are being broadly supported by the direct and indirect demand stemming from the AI buildout, calling the singular nature of the driving shock both unusual and exceptional at the moment.