BANGKOK, July 29 – The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) is expecting PTT Plc, Thailand’s largest oil and gas conglomerate, to resume its gas transmission operations in early August from a previous forecast at the end of the month following line leakages last month, according to EGAT director Suthat Pattamasiriwat.
Mr Suthat said the transmission line was closed after the PTT gas leak incident in late June in the Gulf of Thailand off the Rayong coast where the main 34-inch pipeline intersected with a 24-inch distribution line.
EGAT and PTT are gathering information and calculating damages and losses in the incident. While the transmission line was being repaired there are extra costs from using stove oil to generate power and some cost savings by using hydropower.
He said Thailand must find fuel substitutes for natural gas in generating electric power, as it currently counts for 70 per cent of use. Coal is one good replacement, he added.
Coal is used for about 20 per cent of power generation in Thailand, while other countries use it for as much as 40-50 per cent of power production.
In the meantime, Mr Suthat said, EGAT will ensure that the gas leak won’t result in higher electricity bills, in compliance with the government’s policy, but Fuel Transfer (FT) charges will likely rise in the next billing period, for gas prices have risen significantly.
