Like most developing countries, Thailand has insufficient basic infrastructure such as roads, highways, and energy supply. Trying to overcome these deficiencies is the first step in the development process, and Thailand's National Economic and Social Development Plans, especially the First and the Second Plans, did just that. Electricity, one of the most crucial factors of modern industrial production as well as a means of improved general livelihood, is one of the basic infrastructures for which Thailand has achieved substantial success to meet rising demand. Thailand was able to supply nearly 95 percent of the country with electricity in 1996. Other areas, consisting largely of remote, mostly mountainous areas, are yet to receive access to the national grid. In the big picture, 85 percent of the electricity supply is derived from imported energy, the majority (44%) of which comes from natural gas. This situation implies a high dependency on imports, as the domestic supply of natural gas is on the verge of full exploitation (EGAT 1994)