Energy Minister Piyasvasti Amranand's first question when meeting with The Nation Group last week was: "Are you filling up your tank with gasohol?"

Receiving a sheepish "no" as a reply, he asked why.

"Your friends said their cars choke on gasohol, right? That's exactly what we have learnt from a survey. Thais, especially women aged below 40, are the last to use gasohol, waiting to be sure that their friends' cars run into no problems with the new fuel."

Gasohol was the issue that dominated the following half an hour of conversation.

It was indeed a big issue, particularly when a Ferrari-owner and a Yaris-owner launched complaints posing threats to the ministry's campaign to promote the alternative fuel.

So far the ministry has succeeded in encouraging half the users of octane-95 petrol to switch to the fuel, which accounts for four million litres of sales per day.

Gasohol promotion is just one of many issues that the Energy Ministry has been working on to ensure energy sustainability for Thailand, where energy demand is expected to expand 5 per cent per annum in the next 15 years.

Aside from gasohol, in the past seven months of the Surayud government, the ministry has been working on a number of issues including the levy of an "energy tax", replacement of incandescent light bulbs with so-called energy-saving bulbs, the promotion of natural gas for vehicles (NGV) and the opening of the Independent Power Producer bidding.

The true highlights, say Piyasvasti and senior officials at the ministry, will come in the next five months, before the end of the government's one-year tenure.

Chief among them is a draft act to regulate the energy business. Part of the law is to pave the way for the establishment of a national gas-regulatory board to oversee the natural-gas industry, including the pricing formula.

The board will also have transferred to it the rights over public property related to the sector, as well as expropriation rights, an issue that involves PTT.

"It has taken a long time to bring it into effect as it is one of the issues under the Council of State's interpretation," said Piyasvasti. "However, we're certain that it will become law in the term of this government."

Consumer groups have filed a petition with the Supreme Administrative Court, asking the court to abolish two bills that paved the way for PTT's privatisation.

The question of rights over public property is among the issues that drove the groups to bring the case to court.

With the enactment of the law, the ministry is hopeful that the case will be withdrawn.

Next in line is the flotation of liquefied-petroleum-gas (LPG) prices, which has been delayed for some time.

"It's a complicated issue. We have to do it step by step as this will affect many, especially taxis that run on LPG," Piyasvasti said.

Metta Banturngsuk, director-general of the Energy Business Department, is in charge of developing the plan.

He is now encouraging taxi companies to switch to natural gas for vehicles (NGV).

He noted that some companies had been reluctant as they also operated an LPG station.

Now the ministry has persuaded them to sell NGV instead.

The deal with taxi companies has been carried out in tandem with the promotion of NGV amongst transport companies.

Piyasvasti thinks the LPG price float, though likely to hurt consumers as the currently subsidised local gas price moves into line with global prices, will be welcomed.

"I can guarantee that as soon as the LPG price is floated, retail oil prices will drop," he said.

Highlighted among the ministry's achievements is the inclusion of nuclear-power development in the power-development plan.

Ministry officials thinks that the rate at which Thailand is consuming power makes it necessary to embark on nuclear projects.

If nuclear power plants are to take shape in the next 15 years, it is necessary that Thailand develop engineers in this field as the ones it had have retired.

"If the next government wants to change this plan, it will need to spell out clearly how it is going to satisfy the growing power demand amid environmental concerns that could disrupt coal-fired power-plant construction," Piyasvasti said.

The minister was clear what he wanted to achieve in his remaining days in office.

The only concern in his mind is whether the next government will walk the path he lays.

Achara Deboonme

The Nation