Thailand eyes more gas sources

BANGKOK, November 9 (TNA) - Thailand is looking for new gas sources in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for fears that the country will run out of natural gas within two decades. Permanent Secretary for Energy Nokun Sitthiphong said at a seminar on Thailand's energy security, held in Bangkok Friday morning, that Thailand is now using a full capacity of natural gas production and unless any action was taken, natural gas in the Gulf of Thailand would run out in 20 years, which, if so, would affect local people and industries. Nokun pointed out that Thailand has used natural gas to generate some 70 per cent of electricity nationwide, with as many as 4.5 billion cubic feet of gas used daily this year alone, three quarters of which are produced locally and the rest is imported, acknowledging that the full capacity of natural gas production in Thailand will start to decline next year. The senior official revealed that his ministry plans to import more natural gas from Myanmar and Indonesia, with PTT Public Company Limited (PTT), Thailand's largest petroleum firm, to be among international bidders for a new round of bidding contests for petroleum concessions in Myanmar late this year; while gas production in Indonesia should start within 10 years, as PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited (PTTEP), a subsidiary of PTT, has a joint venture in Indonesia's Natuna gas field, where gas pipelines will be laid to Thailand through Malaysia. According to the senior official, Thailand also pins its hope on joint petroleum production in a Thai-Cambodian overlapping marine border area although the Thai and Cambodian governments have not yet sealed any deal and the development for the gas production will take some 10 years. Besides, Thailand plans to import more liquefied natural gas (LNG), but import costs will be very high and will probably affect costs of electricity generation in the country. (TNA)