Thai PTT’s sixth gas plant to start in early 2011
Most of the gas products to supply petrochemical plants
The company has started test runs at the gas plant and will take three month before commissioning it, Vice President for Corporate Planning Sriwan Eamrungroj told reporters.
“After a test run for three months, it can run at 100 percent early next year,” Sriwan said.
The $780 million gas plant was among 74 projects at the Map Ta Phut industrial estate whose suspension was lifted by a court in early September.
PTT had initially planned to start operations in March 2010 but it was delayed by a court case over environmental and health worries.
The plant has capacity to produce 1.2 million tonnes of gas products including liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and propane, of which 1 million would be feed for petrochemical plants, including those operated by PTT Chemical Pcl, Sriwan said.
Thailand would continue to import LPG to meet domestic demand despite the start-up of the gas plant, she said, adding LPG demand was expected to grow 13 percent this year and 10 pecent next year.
PTT, the country’s sole gas supplier, operates five gas separation plants with a combined capacity of about 4.9 million tonnes a year. The sixth plant is expected to raise gas separation capacity by 37 percent, analysts say.
On Thursday, PTT shares closed up 5.4 percent at 331 baht, outperforming a 1.72 percent gain in the broader Thai market .SETI on expectations the energy firm would report strong third-quarter earnings next week.
The start-up of the gas plant is expected by analysts to boost sales volume for PTT and earnings growth next year.
