BANGKOK, 8 January 2013 The Energy Ministry has delayed the cooking liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) price increase, saying it has not conducted any survey on who should be entitled to the government’s assistance measures.
Energy Minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisal said the rise, which is to take place in February, has been postponed; elaborating that the Energy Policy and Planning Office (EPPO) is in the process of hiring a company to conduct a survey on low-income people, including small restaurants and street vendors, who are supposed to receive assistance from the government after the LPG price increases.
According to Mr Pongsak, people who will be eligible for the assistance are those who use less than 90 units of electricity per month and those who do not have any electricity. The survey is expected to begin next month.
Meanwhile, the Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency has stated that it has planned to encoureage consumers to increase the use of alternative energy to 25% of all the energy used by 2021. Last year, the department achieved its goal, pushing it to 10% of all the energy used in the country. It is aiming to increase the number to 12.5% this year.
Ethanol consumption is also expected to rise from 1.4 million liters to 3 million liters per day, as the production of benzene 91 has been discontinued since the beginning of the year.
