70 companies join energy conservation programme

BANGKOK, July 5 (TNA) - A total of 70 companies have joined an energy conservation programme launched by the Thai Ministry of Energy, aimed at reducing the country's energy consumption in the long run and the government's energy spending. Krairit Nilkuha, Director-General of the ministry's Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency Department, acknowledged while presiding over the launching of the official energy conservation programme Thursday that since April 2012, more than 1,380 office buildings and 42 factories across Thailand have also participated in the programme. Krairit said that he expected more local firms would join the programme in the future, and that the programme would also encourage the general public to conserve energy in the long run, create networks to offer advice to the public on saving their energy consumption, help business operators to earn more profits and help trim the government's energy spending. According to an official assessment, if the 70 participating firms, whose combined annual power consumption was recorded at some seven billion units, could reduce their power use by 10 per cent on average, about 600 megawatts electricity would then be saved. (TNA)