Thai PM urges energy saving through one-hour switch-off campaign

BANGKOK, April 10 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra launched a one-hour switch-off campaign from 2pm-3pm Tuesday, forecast to be the warmest day in 2012 with highest energy consumption in the country and Myanmar’s suspension of its gas supply to Thailand for annual maintenance. Yingluck said that it was good for the one-hour power consumption cut, despite a slight reduction, as it could further motivate energy saving in general, urging all her Cabinet members to keep saving their energy consumption by at least 10 per cent and the Energy Ministry to encourage more people to turn to renewable energy. Meanwhile, Thai Energy Minister Arak Chonlatanon told journalists that his ministry's National Energy Policy Committee has resolved to contribute part of retail prices of 91 and 95 octane petrol to the state oil fund, which will cause a new price rise of petrol on the domestic market by 1.07 baht per liter as of April 16; while the prices of gasohol and diesel will remain unchanged. Arak acknowledged that the retail price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in the local transportation sector will also be raised by 0.41 baht per liter to 11.41 baht per liter; while the retail price of natural gas for vehicles (NGV) will go up by 0.50 baht per kilogram to 10.50 baht per kilogram. According to the minister, the contribution to the state oil fund, by one baht per liter from the retail prices of 91 and 95 octane petrol, will, however, widen a gap between petrol prices and gasohol prices. The minister pointed out that the price of 95 octane gasohol on the domestic market will then be 3.42 baht per liter cheaper than that of 91 octane petrol, instead of a 2.35-baht differential, and it will be 7.37 baht, instead of 6.30 baht, per liter cheaper than the price of 95 octane petrol, which will then reduce a daily loss of the state oil fund from 70 million baht to 60 million baht. (TNA)