Bangkok--10 Nov--PTT
H.E. Dr. Wannarut Channukul, minister of energy, today presided over the inauguration of PTT Plc’s NGV Master Station and Region VI Gas Operations Division in Bangkok.
On hand to welcome the minister were PTT’s chief executive officer and president and his management team. Serving as urban centers for energy security, the inaugurated facilities are located on Kalapraphruek Road, Khet Phasi Charoen. Today’s event illustrated the national energy company’s commitment to the expansion of natural gas transmission to urban areas for consumption in power generation and the industrial, commercial, and transport sectors.
The minister said this reflected PTT’s potential and earnest intention as the national energy company to foster national energy security, covering the sourcing of energy to meet the domestic demand and the expansion of the national gas transmission system. The master station provides NGV supply to service stations lying beyond gas transmission pipeline routes, whereas the new gas operations division plays a key role in controlling and planning gas supply receipt and distribution for maximum safety and efficiency in seven key projects undertaken by PTT. This event therefore represented a major step forward to PTT’s crucial tasks.
Mr. Prasert Bunsumpun, PTT CEO and president, said that under the company’s plan to secure NGV to meet the public demand, since early 2008 the company had expanded the capacities of the mother stations and completed the construction of several stations along its pipeline routes. As a result, the total capacity for NGV production and supply from these stations had risen from 1,900 tons/day in May to 3,564 tons/day currently — and this volume is expected to rise to 5,400 tons/day by year-end. Today’s NGV sales stand at about 2,780 tons/day.
The Kalapraphruek Road station is a so-called mother station in urban areas with a production capacity of 70 tons/day. Thanks to 30 gas transporters, about 60 trips can be made per day, enabling PTT to secure NGV to quickly feed mini-daughter stations in the communities of Bangkok because of its convenient location and reach to seven outer-lying stations around Nonthaburi and Samut Sakhon provinces. This advantage would eliminate not only supply concerns, but also queuing problems. Currently commanding 254 NGV service stations, PTT is expected to have by year-end more than 300.
The PTT chief added that the new regional gas operations division, located in the same neighborhood as the NGV station, was the first center for the gas receipt and distribution center in urban areas and their perimeter. This includes PTT’s network of seven City Gas projects resulting from the main transmission system, a total of about 170 kilometers, namely:
1. Sai Noi — North and South Bangkok Power Plants
2. Industrial plants on Suksawat Road in Samut Prakan province
3. The NGV service station and the new southern bus terminal
4. Suvarnabhumi — Phya Thai
5. Ekachai — Rama II Roads
6. The government agency center on Chaeng Watthana and the National Energy Center, Pathum Thani — Phya Thai
7. Bangchak Refinery.
The company’s network operation control center uses the so-called SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System) to focus on Bangkok and its perimeter in coordination with the main operations center in Chon Buri via an advanced communication system. SCADA enables PTT to monitor pressure, temperature, flow rate, and equipment location data as well as warning signals to ensure that the City Gas Network is free of transmission bottlenecks. Above all, the kingdom will benefit from energy import reduction resulting from oil displacement in power generation, industries, and transport, not to mention its cleanliness. Also, the fact that gas is pipeline-transported alleviates traffic problems while lessening fuel inventory and storage costs.
Corporate Communications Department
Tel. 0-2537-3217
Fax 0-2537-3211