PTT to scale down LPG import as demand falls

THAI-listed State-owned energy giant PTT Pcl will slow down the import of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in the second half of this year as the Covid-19 outbreak has reduced domestic demand, Thai Department of Energy Business director-general Nanthika Thangsupanich.

She said: “PTT Pcl has informed the department that in July it only imported 9,000 tonnes of LPG for domestic use and has not submitted any additional import plan for the rest of the year.

“In the first half of 2020, the average domestic demand of LPG is at 15 million kg per day, down by 16 per cent compared to the same period last year.

“We estimate that average domestic demand for the whole year will be at around 14.9 million kg per day.”

Nanthika added that the sector that saw the biggest decrease in LPG demand was transportation, which dropped from last year’s demand at around 30.6 per cent, followed by the petrochemical, industrial and household sectors.

The department also reported that Unique Gas and Petrochemicals Pcl is another active LPG importer besides PTT, but they import solely for export at 3,000 tonnes per month.

Nanthika said: “As for Siam Gas and Petrochemicals Pcl, they stopped importing LPG since mid-2019 and have been buying LPG from PTT instead.”

The department predicts that by 2037 the domestic demand for LPG in the transportation sector will drop to 280,000 kg per day from the 2.8 million kg per day recorded last year, as more people will shift to gasohol, biodiesel as well as electrical vehicles.