Ministry issues LPG warning

Energy Minister Poonpirom Liptapanlop yesterday said LPG consumption in the industrial sector had increased, with the latest figures rising to 60,000 tonnes a month. The price of LPG for non-domestic use will soon be floated. PTT now imports the bulk of LPG used in Thailand at a cost of about US$920 (Bt31,000) per tonne. It is sold at a domestically subsidised price of about $300 a tonne, with a retail price of about Bt18.13 a kilogram.

Poonpirom is concerned that the resulting rise in the price of LPG will affect the industrial sector, so she has warned manufacturers to reduce their reliance on LPG and shift to an alternative fuel, such as NGV. She said it would be more convenient for industrial operators to access NGV when PTT completed its NGV pipelines close to industrial estates. Some pipelines are expected to be installed within three years.

The Energy Ministry is also planning to improve a project that provides energy-saving loans for the industrial sector. The loans are available through 13 financial institutions from a government budget of Bt60 billion. The ministry wants to make the loans more competitive with commercial-bank financing.