ID :
191830
Wed, 06/29/2011 - 15:44
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Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/191830
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Gas leak in the Gulf of Thailand to raise EGAT costs
BANGKOK, June 29 (TNA) - The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) has assessed that a two-week suspension of gas pipeline operations offshores of PTT Public Company Limited (PTT), the country's petroleum giant, due to a gas leak in the Gulf of Thailand should raise EGAT's costs of power generating by as high as one billion baht.
EGAT Governor Suthat Pattamasiriwat acknowledged that his state-run agency has lost some 250 million cubic feet of natural gas supply daily for its power production, following the PTT’s June 26 gas pipeline leak in the Gulf of Thailand.
Suthat insisted that a two-week suspension of the PTT's gas pipeline operations could raise EGAT's costs of electricity generating by one billion baht, or about 2.5 satang per unit of its fuel tariff (FT) charged on local users' bills, as EGAT has had to use higher-priced bunker oil to generate the electricity, in the meantime.
PTT is expected to fix its gas pipeline leak within two weeks, but in a worst case scenario, the problem may last for some 60 days.
The EGAT governor urged the Thai government to, therefore, work out plans to make Thailand become more independent from natural gas, but relying, instead, on clean and cheaper energy sources, cautioning that the country would face bigger problems, including power blackout in many parts of the country, if the same incident occurred in 2013 when the national power-reserved capacity would drop to 15 per cent, from 25 per cent currently.
In a breakdown, the EGAT chief said, 69 per cent of his state-run agency's power generating capacity has relied on natural gas, 19 per cent from coal, 2 per cent from water, and 9 per cent from other sources. (TNA)
EGAT Governor Suthat Pattamasiriwat acknowledged that his state-run agency has lost some 250 million cubic feet of natural gas supply daily for its power production, following the PTT’s June 26 gas pipeline leak in the Gulf of Thailand.
Suthat insisted that a two-week suspension of the PTT's gas pipeline operations could raise EGAT's costs of electricity generating by one billion baht, or about 2.5 satang per unit of its fuel tariff (FT) charged on local users' bills, as EGAT has had to use higher-priced bunker oil to generate the electricity, in the meantime.
PTT is expected to fix its gas pipeline leak within two weeks, but in a worst case scenario, the problem may last for some 60 days.
The EGAT governor urged the Thai government to, therefore, work out plans to make Thailand become more independent from natural gas, but relying, instead, on clean and cheaper energy sources, cautioning that the country would face bigger problems, including power blackout in many parts of the country, if the same incident occurred in 2013 when the national power-reserved capacity would drop to 15 per cent, from 25 per cent currently.
In a breakdown, the EGAT chief said, 69 per cent of his state-run agency's power generating capacity has relied on natural gas, 19 per cent from coal, 2 per cent from water, and 9 per cent from other sources. (TNA)
