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345481
Wed, 10/22/2014 - 16:09
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Thailand to align energy use with domestic demand

BANGKOK, October 22 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha says that his government has a policy on aligning energy use with domestic demand, while also seeking more energy sources. General Prayut told journalists on Wednesday, after chairing a meeting of the National Energy Policy Committee at Bangkok's Government House, that, as part of the policy, his government will promote the production of energy from garbage and energy crops to reduce Thailand's imports of gas and oil. The prime minister acknowledged that his government will also try to convince the public to welcome electricity generating from biomass and garbage, insisting that his administration will support the construction of more waste-to-energy plants. But the prime minister admitted that the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) on the domestic market needs to be gradually increased to reflect the market mechanism and to be in line with its price on the world market, pointing out that longer subsidies will cause damage to the nation. Meanwhile, Deputy Permanent Secretary for Energy Kurujit Nakornthap told reporters that Thailand has imported energy worth over 1 trillion baht annually and imported crude and natural gas accounted for 85 per cent and 15 per cent respectively of their total demands in the country. Besides, nearly 70 per cent of electricity generating in Thailand has depended on natural gas, with its rising proportion, while gas deposits in the country have been declining. To avoid an energy crisis, the senior official revealed, his ministry's Department of Mineral Fuels is inviting applications for more petroleum exploration and production concessions on 29 blocks inland and in the Gulf of Thailand. (TNA)

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