Heightened energy prices have had effects on the public, and notably on transportation businesses and truckers. In response, the Energy Policy Administration Committee (EPAC) has resolved to adjust the types of diesel fuel offered at service stations to keep the retail price of diesel from exceeding 28 baht per liter.
Energy Policy and Planning Office Director-General Wattanapong Kurovat said after the EPAC meeting on Wednesday that only B7 diesel, or diesel fuel containing 7% biodiesel, will be offered at pumps from December this year to March next year.
He explained that the suspension of B10 and B20 biodiesel offerings is due to the high price of palm – the source of the methyl ester used in biodiesel. He said the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, and the National Oil Palm Policy Committee have unanimously agreed that B7 diesel will best suit current circumstances.
The EPPO chief said limiting the biodiesel offering to just B7 will keep pump prices from exceeding 28 baht a liter. In the meantime, oil firms are being asked to cap their marketing margins for high-speed diesel at 1.4 baht per liter.
The initiative is expected to reduce the amount of money drawn from the Oil Fund to 3.886 billion baht per month, from about 4 billion baht at present. The responsible agencies will continue to evaluate the energy prices to designate measures for reducing people’s cost of living. (NNT)
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