CityNews – On 5th November the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) and the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) stated that they encourage the use of standard lanterns during Loy Krathong to help prevent electricity outages.
As lanterns descend after their release, they sometimes land on electricity wires and cause fires and power cuts. A high number of lanterns have already been released, and with many more expected to be bought during Loy Krathong, the EGAT and the PEA have called for the use of standard lanterns (Thammachai Lanterns). Since 2009, the Loy Krathong Festival in Lanna Dhutanka in San Sai have only allowed the use of Thammachai Lanterns. As a result, there have been no electricity failures in that area for the past three years, despite thousands of lanterns being released.
This has led to the EGAT and PEA urging everybody to use Thammachai Lanterns for this year’s Loy Krathong. Thammachai Lanterns are cleverly designed to use fuel in a safer way, combined with an accurate corresponding float-time, so that they never arrive on land while still burning.