Wednesday, June 01, 2011
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
by Watcharapong Thongrung, The Nation, Bangkok, Thailand
Thailand's natural-gas reserves are estimated to be enough for only 18 more years if no new reserves are found, said Kurujit Nakornthap, deputy permanent secretary of the Energy Ministry.
He made the remark yesterday (May 31) at a seminar on Thailand's energy outlook. He said the current natural-gas reserves, both proven and probable, stand at 23 trillion cubic feet. If production is maintained at the rate of 3,747 million cubic feet per day (MMcfd) and no new reserves are found, the current reserves will run out in 18 years.
He added that the ministry had given priority to seeking new resources to ensure national energy stability.
He added that of the country's proven petroleum reserves as of 2009, natural gas stood at 11.026 trillion cubic feet, condensate at 255 million barrels, and crude oil at 180 million barrels. Of total probable reserves, the natural-gas amount stood at 6.170 trillion cubic feet, condensate at 86 million barrels, and crude oil at 170 million barrels.
This year natural-gas production in Thailand in many fields is expected to reach a combined 3,717MMcfd, up from 3,511MMcfd, while the demand from many industrial sectors is estimated at a combined 4,006MMcfd, down from 4,039MMcfd last year.
The high demand for natural gas means Thailand is expected to import 702MMcfd from Burma this year.
Kurujit said one threat to the country's energy security was its over-dependence on natural gas for generating electricity. It is estimated that natural gas this year will account for 71 percent of all energy sources used for electricity generation. Coal-fired power plants and proposed nuclear plants face opposition from communities.
Department of mineral fuels director-general Songpop Polachan said it would rapidly seek additional domestic petroleum sources through the planned granting of new concessions, the promotion of production in small petroleum fields, and a feasibility study on the production of natural gas from high-carbon-dioxide fields.
Copyright (c) 2011, The Nation, Bangkok, Thailand / Asia News Network
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