BANGKOK, 20 February 2015 – The public debate on the 21st round of petroleum concession bidding held on Friday at the Government House ended at 4 p.m.
The six-and-a-half-hour debate ran smoothly as participants from two camps presented their arguments and supporting information on the basis of best benefits for the public.
The Energy Ministry has set up a war room to jot down all details discussed in the debate as well as questions asked by the public for use in the government’s consideration on energy projects in the future.
At the end of the public debate, key persons from both sides had an informal meeting to discuss more about the bidding and the energy reform. Among them were former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, Deputy Energy Permanent Secretary Kurujit Nakornthap and a member of the National Reform Council in charge of energy reform Rosana Tositrakul.
Prime Minister’s Office Minister ML Panadda Diskul revealed that representatives of the two camps had jointly agreed in three aspects. They all wanted an effective and fair energy management with lowest impact on the public living, and also comprehensive and clear-cut energy laws to control the petroleum exploration. Lastly, they wanted a committee be set up to finalize everything by Mar 16, before the last day of submission of the bidding applications.
