AYUTTHAYA, Oct 17 – Bang Chak Petroleum’s oil depot in this province’s Bang Pa-in district is still surviving flooding owing to its five-metre flood embankments despite the fact the amount of water around the area having increased, company president Anusorn Saengnimnual said.
Apart from the oil depot, Bang Chak’s new B100 biodiesel factory with a 300,000-litre production capacity and a more than Bt1 billion investment, and the company’s solar power plant (Sunny Bangchak) are also situated in the same premises.
Currently, about 200 soldiers and Bang Chak personnel are putting up sandbags to further protect the area.
In case the oil depot in Bang Pa-in cannot function due to flooding, Bang Chak Petroleum has emergency plans for oil tanker trucks to pick up and load fuel at the Bangchak Refinery on Sukhumvit Road Soi 64, and at Bang Chak’s oil depot in Samut Sakhon province.
Mr Anusorn said there are sufficient oil reserves for local demand.
However, reports said the situation of Bang Chak Petroleum’s oil depot in Bang Pa-in district is worrying, for torrential floodwaters might destroy the flood embankments there.
Meanwhile, Energy Business Department Director-General Viraphol Jirapraditkul said the continous and ongoing flood situation nationwide has caused 121 gas stations in 13 provinces to temporarily close down due to impassable roads. The number included 30 LPG stations and 39 NGV stations.
For NGV gas stations, Mr Viraphol said the problem stemmed from the fact that main stations in Pathum Thani (Lat Lum Kaeo, Sam Khok, Chiang Rak Noi) are flooded.
PTT Plc, the country’s largest oil and gas conglomerate, was cooperating however by transporting fuel from its stations in the Rang Sit area to gas stations in the west of Bangkok.
The director-general said there would be sufficient for demand, while admitting logistics may be slow.
He added some petrol stations resumed service in Nakhon Sawan and Tak where water levels have decreased. Energy Business Department and oil companies have sent mobile vehicles to check the oil and gas quality before allowing stations to re-open, Mr Viraphol said.
Meanwhile, Payungsak Chartsutipol, Chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries, reaffirmed Monday that most consumer goods are still sufficient for consumers but the product shortage is reportedly in some areas due to obstacles in transportation.
Mr Payungsak said that he has asked police to allow the passage of trucks carrying beyond limited times as the system has already lost some 30 per cent of needed products due to exigencies of the flood situation.
The FTI will meet with industrial sector representatives on Tuesday to discuss the impact of flooding and will lay out long-term solution, as well as a rehabilitation plan.
Pun Paniangvait, an executive of Thai President Foods Pcl, the country’s largest manufacturer of instant noodles, said the factory increased its production of “Mama” by 50 per cent, or about 5,400,000 instant noodle packages per day.
With the increased production, Mr Pun assured consumers there would be no food shortage.
