Alternative fuels top govt agenda
Gasohol, natural gas will get major push
Bangkok Post, 9 June, 2004
Yuthana Praiwan
Pradit Ruangdit
With economic growth slowing and GDP predicted to slip on rising oil prices, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday declared the development and promotion of alternative fuel, including gasohol and natural gas, a national agenda.
Deputy Prime Minister Suchart Jaovisidha was appointed chairman of a panel charged with devising long-term energy-saving measures, particularly the use of gasohol and natural gas as alternative fuels.
"Alternative fuel is a key player in our energy-saving plans, and its use and development must be regarded as part of the national agenda," Mr. Thaksin said.
The government has already begun implementing plans to cut the country's dependence on petroleum energy and reduce uneconomical oil consumption.
The Industry Ministry told yesterday's cabinet meeting that 11 sugar mills had expressed interest in producing and selling ethanol using sugarcane and by products from sugar production as raw material.
A mixture of 10% ethanol and 90% regular petrol would make gasohol, an alternative to 95 octane petrol.
Eight of the 11 mills have a combined daily production capacity of 1,150,000 litres. The four others have yet to state their daily capacity.
The Energy, Industry and Agriculture ministries have also set up a joint committee to promote the use of bio-diesel by 3%, or 2.4 million litres, of the total daily consumption of diesel within 2011.
On gasohol, the panel would promote the production of raw materials for bio-diesel production - 1.6 million litres would be mixed with diesel oil and 0.8 million litres with other substances for use in farm machinery, and with natural gas for city buses.
Certain target areas would be forced to use bio-diesel between 2006 and 2010 and nationwide use would be mandatory from 2010.
Bio-diesel mixed with diesel oil had already been used with public carriers in Chiang Mai on an eight-month trial basis.
The Energy Ministry and the navy also had studied together economic benefits and effects on the environment of the use of bio-diesel together with natural gas in diesel engines. Test runs of over 100,000km found the engines gave horse power, reduced black smoke emission by 60% and saved oil consumption by 30%-35%.
As for natural gas, the Petroleum Authority of Thailand plans to open 20 natural gas stations per year to meet its of 120 stations by 2008.
The government also plans to make buses, taxis and garbage trucks use natural gas as fuel.
It also would give investment privileges, cut vehicle-registration fees or extend financial assistance to private operators who produced or used natural gas-fuelled vehicles.
The prime minister's car would be modified into a natural gas vehicle (NGV) in the next few weeks.
Watchara Pannachet, assistant to the industry minister, said the ministry planned to promote the production of small cars under its "Best Little Cars" project which could be fuelled by both petrol and gasohol.
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