A new natural gas field that could be used for the production of electricity and natural gas for vehicles has been found in the northeastern province of Udon Thani, said Kurujit Nakornthap, director-general of the Mineral Fuels Department.
Kurujit said a petroleum explorer near the Sin Phu Hom natural gas field in Udon Thani had informed him that it they had discovered the new natural gas field nearby and that they had told the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) so that the latter could amend its plans for electricity production.
He said PTT Exploration and Production has already announced that gas reserves at the Sin Phu Hom field could produce natural gas for at least 15 years and EGAT has asked for an extension to buy natural gas from PTT for another three years, ending in 2024.
To date, two commercial scale natural gas fields have been found in the northeastern region.
The first, in Nam Phong district of Khon Kaen province is now producing 10-15 million cubic feet per day, compared to the 100 million cubic feet per day previously.
Kurujit said EGAT plans to construct a new electricity plant to take the place of the Nam Phong electricity plant, which would be used until 2024, as the demand for electricity in the northeast ha been rising more than 4.5 percent annually.
