Electricity for Empty Land, an Orchard or a Farmhouse — Is the Extension Free, What Do Poles Cost, How Long?
The utility's low-voltage line has not reached your plot yet — who pays for the poles and wire, is there really a free extension and on what conditions, which land documents are needed, what if the plot is landlocked or the line must cross a neighbour's land, and how many working days does it all take? Every answer here cites official PEA and MEA documents. No guessed prices.
The short version, from the official documents: if no low-voltage line passes your plot, a meter application becomes a "distribution extension" job — the utility surveys, designs, estimates and bills the applicant for the construction before it builds. Neither utility publishes a per-metre or per-pole price. PEA (provinces) waives the low-voltage extension charge for the first 140 metres on meters up to 30 A, but only inside community (municipal) zones with a house registration, within 10 working days. MEA (Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan) charges per its regulations and quotes about 1 week + 4 working days when poles and lines are needed. Empty land without a house number starts with a temporary supply. A line that must cross someone else's land needs the landowner's written consent / permit agreement before the utility installs anything — details for every point below.
How much does a 200-metre grid extension cost?
Can you get electricity on empty land — and what must exist first?
A right over the land/premises: the applicant must own the land or premises, hold the owner's written consent, or hold a legal/contractual right of possession (lease, sale agreement) — per PEA's 2025 conditions and MEA's "connection to the premises" document list.
A house number: PEA's manual requires "the premises must have a house number" for a permanent meter; MEA accepts the house registration or a "house-number assignment letter" from the local authority — if the house is built but unnumbered, get the number from the municipality / SAO / district office first.
Internal wiring up to standard: wiring and equipment to EIT/utility standard, with the applicant running the main line from the house to the pole (PEA) / a wiring certificate from a registered contractor or passing the first inspection (MEA) — fail the inspection and it must be fixed before power-on.
No electricity arrears on the premises; in MEA areas the plot must not lie in an underground-cable district.
Can you get the poles for free — who qualifies?
PEA's free-140-metre rule — the conditions
Per PEA's work manual (approved 7 Dec 2021): staff check the distance on the GIS system and "up to 140 metres, PEA will do the work without charging for the extension"; the applicant pays only the meter-installation fee for the size. The rule does not cover:
Plots outside community zones (outside municipal areas) — most orchard and paddy-field houses fall here, so the estimate applies.
Land inside a housing / land-subdivision project (the developer is responsible for the project's network).
Incomplete documents, e.g. no house registration, not even a temporary one.
Internal wiring that does not meet PEA's standard.
Cases that require installing or upsizing a PEA transformer.
Programmes where PEA funds the extension (check eligibility at your local office)
Poles and lines — who pays for what
Getting power to a plot the line has not reached is several separate cost items with different payers — summarised from the official PEA/MEA conditions and manuals:
| Item | Who pays | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Distribution extension (poles, conductor, hardware, labour) | Applicant, per the estimate | Waived under PEA's 140-m rule (community zones) or PEA's household/farmer programmes |
| Transformer (if one must be installed/upsized) | Applicant, per the estimate | Outside the free rule; HV work has its own standard (35 working days for ≤250 kVA with an existing system) |
| Meter-installation / inspection fee | Applicant | By meter size (a typical 15(45)A single-phase home: 700 THB ex-VAT at both PEA and MEA) — full table on the meter page |
| Security deposit | Depends on utility / user class | MEA collects none from new residential/small-business users; PEA's conditions say a deposit per its rates — confirm at 1129 |
| Main line from house to pole + internal wiring | Applicant (own electrician) | Must pass EIT/utility standard before power-on; MEA accepts a registered contractor's certificate |
| Compensation / agreement to cross another's land (if any) | Between applicant and landowner | The utility needs the consent / permit agreement before it acts (see the blind-plot section) |
The per-size meter fee table, the standard in-town application steps and meter sizing live on apply for an electricity meter: cost & steps — this page does not repeat that table.
How many days: PEA's and MEA's time standards
| Case | PEA | MEA |
|---|---|---|
| LV line passes, no extension, meter ≤30(100)A | Install + energise within 2 working days of payment (community) / 5 (outside); whole process 5 / 6 working days; 200 THB/day compensation, cap 2,000, if late | ≤15(45)A, no external work: 1 working day intake + 3 working days inspection/installation = 4 working days |
| LV extension needed (poles & lines) | Community zone ≤140 m, meter ≤30 A: 10 working days (survey-design-estimate-approval 7 days, construction, inspection 1 day, meter 1 day); other cases: per estimate and agreement — the staff manual notifies costs within 5 working days of the survey | ≤200 A with external work: 1 working day intake → 10 working days inspection, poles/lines, meter = 1 week + 4 working days; +1 working day per 100 m beyond 500 m |
| Transformer must be installed/upsized (HV work) | ≤250 kVA with an existing system and no external line work: within 35 working days after paying survey/extension charges; otherwise per estimate | Outside the general manual (machinery access required) — ask 1130 |
Documents: land, house number, consent letters
From PEA's 2025 conditions, the citizen manuals and MEA's new-meter page — have them all before filing, because the standard clock only starts once documents are complete:
| Document | When / note |
|---|---|
| ID card (or the ThaID app) — passport for non-Thai nationals | Every case |
| House/building registration of the premises (MEA also accepts a house-number assignment letter) | Permanent meter — no house number means the temporary route |
| Ownership / right-of-possession evidence: title deed or Nor Sor 3, sale agreement, lease (+ the lessor's proof) or a consent-to-use letter | Every case — a non-owner applicant needs the owner's written consent (PEA) |
| Sketch map of the location | Every case; for rural plots add GPS coordinates / a photo of the nearest pole |
| Stamped power of attorney + ID copies of grantor and proxy | When someone else (e.g. the contractor) files for you |
| Permit agreement to install supply equipment on the applicant's or another person's land / permit to run the service line (behind the meter) across another's land | MEA is explicit: hand it in before work starts / before the meter goes in; PEA likewise requires the landowner's written consent |
| Certificate allowing poles/lines on public land (from the authority controlling it: local government, highways, irrigation) | When the pole line crosses public or restricted land (stated in MEA's manual; PEA requires permission for restricted areas) |
| Farmers: farmer registration book + land-right document/lease | MEA: internal-wiring certificate from a registered contractor (if any) | Case-specific — the คขก.3 programme / MEA's internal-wiring check |
At PEA either the original or a signed copy is accepted (bring the original and PEA copies it), and the ThaID app can stand in for the ID card — per PEA's citizen manuals.
Landlocked plot, or the line must cross a neighbour's land — what then?
Orchard house, paddy-field house, power for a plantation — which route?
How to get power to a plot the line has not reached — 6 steps
In the order the utility manuals actually prescribe — preparing each step in advance removes most applicant-side waiting.
Check which utility serves you and the distance to the nearest LV line
Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan = MEA (1130); every other province = PEA (1129). See whether a low-voltage pole line passes the plot and whether you are inside a municipal zone — ≤140 m inside a municipality is PEA's free allowance.
Sort out land rights, the house number and neighbour consent
Prepare the title deed / contract / owner's consent, get a house number from the local authority if none exists (or choose temporary supply), and if the pole line must cross other people's or public land, obtain the consent / certificate before filing.
File the connection request + extension request
PEA: any PEA office, e-Service, the PEA Smart Plus app or LINE PEA Thailand (the system opens a connection request and an extension request together) / MEA: a district office or MEASY (eservice.mea.or.th/measy) — attach the documents from the table above.
The utility surveys, designs, estimates and notifies the cost
Staff survey the site to fix the pole alignment and connection point, draw the layout, prepare the estimate and issue the cost notice — free under the 140-m rule; check what the estimate contains (poles, conductor, transformer, meter fee) before paying.
Pay, and get the internal wiring ready for inspection
Pay the extension charge (if any), the meter fee and any deposit, then have your electrician finish the internal wiring and the main line to the pole to standard — the utility's time standard starts counting "from the day after payment".
Construction, inspection, meter installation, power-on
The utility erects poles, strings the line, inspects the internal system, installs the meter and energises (PEA One Touch ≤140 m within 10 working days; MEA external work 1 week + 4 working days) — keep every receipt, above all the deposit receipt, which you need to reclaim it when you cancel the meter.
Who wrote this page
Compiled by the CapSolar team, a commercial solar provider in Thailand, and reviewed by Frank Lee (Founder). Every figure and condition cites official PEA/MEA documents whose accessibility we verified as of Aug 2026 (links at the bottom). Where the utilities publish no price — the per-metre extension cost, for instance — we say so plainly and never substitute forum numbers.
FAQ
Keep reading
Apply for an Electricity Meter: Cost & Steps
The standard in-town case, the fee table and meter sizing.
Temporary Construction Electricity
No house number yet? Start with a temporary meter.
Agricultural Electricity Rate + How to Apply
Pumping on the farm — do you qualify for the farm tariff?
Cancel a Meter + Get the Deposit Back
Every meter's end point: steps, documents, timelines.
Plot or farm far from the grid, extension quote too high?
For businesses, farms and factories in remote areas, CapSolar assesses free of charge whether solar (including hybrid / storage setups) beats the grid-extension investment — no obligation.