Japanese firms will be granted carbon credits in return, said the department's specialist on the environment, Thanarat Worasute.

During the past two years, the department has installed technology that produces biogas from waste water in three flour facilities with the support of Bt30 million from the Energy Ministry's fund for energy-saving promotion. In addition, each plant had to invest Bt40 million to complete a whole system, he said.

As a result, each plant can cut its energy costs Bt30 million per year and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 60,000 tonnes annually.

Thanarat said the department was trying to entice not only Japanese companies to accept its offer, but also any firms in developed countries.

"If foreign companies agree with our offer, we will save Bt2.5 billion by setting up advanced environmental systems for 40 plants," he said.

"After completing the systems, we will be able to pay them back with total carbon credits of at least one million tonnes a year."

Meanwhile, the advanced technology will help flour operators to reduce their production costs by Bt1.25 billion a year.

After completing investment in the flour industry, the department will expand this project into the palm oil and alcohol industries in the future, Thanarat said.

Chalida  Ekvitthayavechnukul

The Nation