Thai Energy Ministry to draft nation’s first energy plan

BANGKOK, October 4 (TNA) - The Thai Energy Ministry is working out a new national energy plan that will address every dimension of efficient energy management.

Sitthichoke Wanthawin, Director at the Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy Policy Bureau, under Ministry’s the Energy Policy and Planning Office (EPPO), said the draft will become Thailand’s first-ever energy development plan in history, expected to be completed in one year.

The envisaged guideline will incorporate aspects of alternative energy development, energy saving, long-term power development and oil, and will be part of the 11th five-year National Economic and Social Development Plan.

Meanwhile, Phruek Akkarangsi, Deputy Director of the Nakornping Energy Research and Development Institute at Chiang Mai University, said he agreed with the government’s plan to adjust the overall structure of energy prices, especially the decision to gradually raise the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to reflect its cost.

The energy expert said he believes the changes will prompt a reduction in gas consumption, thereby cutting down the nation’s gas imports.