Thai energy demand to rise 5 pct in 2007 – ministry

Thailand’s demand for all fuels and power is expected to rise 5.1 percent to 1.64 million barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2007, compared with estimated demand growth of 2.4 percent in 2006, the Energy Ministry said on Monday.

Demand for oil products in 2007 was projected to rise 1.7 percent, versus an estimated fall of 1.3 percent to 709,000 barrels per day (bpd) in 2006, Viraphol Jirapaditkul, head of the Office of Policy and Planning, said in a statement.

The fall in oil product consumption in 2006 was attributed to motorists shifting to cheaper liquified petroleum gas (LPG) and compressed natural gas (CNG), Viraphol said.

But demand for gasoline in 2007 was expected to rise 3.2 percent compared with an estimated flat figure of 125,000 bpd in 2006, while demand for diesel was expected to rise 2.4 percent in 2007 versus a 5.7 percent fall to 318,000 bpd in 2006, he said.

Demand for electricity in 2007 was expected to rise 5.5 percent to 149,471 million kilowatt hours compared with an estimated rise of 4.9 percent to 126,600 million in 2006, he said.

Demand for natural gas as a fuel for power generation would rise 7 percent to 3,460 million cubic feet per day in 2007 as local and Myanmar producers provide more supplies, he said.

Crude oil imports were expected to fall 0.5 percent to 823,000 bpd in 2006, but no forecast for 2007 was given.

The country’s crude imports fell 12.6 percent in November from a year earlier to 3.29 billion litres or 689,770 bpd, valued at $1.32 billion, 3.7 percent less than a year earlier, the Commerce Ministry said this month.

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