PTT vice president Chitpong Kwangsuksathit said his company was proceeding with the campaign to promote the use of NGV in vehicles nationwide. For instance, it will finish laying down the gas pipeline around Bangkok in the third quarter. This should increase the number of petrol stations providing NGV.

Chitpong said PTT also discussed promotion of NGV with Toyota Motors Thailand, one of the top-selling car brands. He said Toyota executives told him that if the Finance Ministry was ready to cut the excise tax for NGV vehicles, Toyota was ready to churn out the vehicles at affordable prices to encourage NGV use.

He said PTT had also expanded the campaign period, to encourage drivers to convert to NGV equipment at special prices. NGV can be used as a substitute energy source for only Bt8.50/kg.

PTT has 62 NGV stations. It is about to open another three and is building 14 more.

PTT is also holding talks with the Federation of Land Transport on setting up NGV petrol stations along main highways. The federation has agreed in principle to allow PTT to increase the fuel fee for stations far from the pipeline.

PTT has also invited the public to participate in a campaign to convert vehicle engines to NGV. The company will subsidise the cost at the rate of Bt10,000 per vehicle. That means owners of four-cylinder vehicles would spend Bt25,000 to Bt53,000 to convert their machines, but despite the high conversion cost, their fuel costs would be 70 per cent less than regular petrol.

Chitpong said PTT would freeze its NGV price at Bt8.50 per kg for the foreseeable future. Despite oil prices, it will not raise NGV prices higher than 50 per cent of diesel.

Watcharapong Thongrung

The Nation