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By Euan Paulo C. Añonuevo, Reporter
Bangkok, Thailand: Thailand’s
PTT Public Co. Ltd. is keen on participating in the Philippine
National Oil Corp.-Exploration Corp.’s (PNOC-EC) Batangas to
Manila (Batman 1) gas pipeline project.
Somchai Jiranuntarat, PTT
corporate business development team leader, told Filipino reporters
that the company held initial talks with PNOC-EC officials on the
matter.
“We are holding discussions for
the gas pipeline for Batman. We want to become a partner of the PNOC-EC
in this project,” he said, but stopped short of divulging details.
PTT owns and operates
Thailand’s domestic onshore and offshore transmission pipelines,
which run over 2,400 kilo-meters. The company sources natural gas
and transports it through this extensive network of pipelines to gas
separation plants that filter out gas components with commercial
value that are then sold to industries.
If the company’s plans to
participate in the PNOC-EC project pushes through, the Batman I will
eventually be connected to this vast network of gas pipelines.
The Batman I is a priority
project of the Philippine government and has been declared by the
National Economic and Development Authority as a project of national
significance. The project aims to extend the use of Malampaya
natural gas to potential users in the industrial, commercial,
transport and residential sectors.
Prasong Intaranongpai, PTT
business planning department senior analyst, said that the
Philippines is one of PTT’s main focus areas in the region. He
disclosed that with the plan to join the gas pipeline project, PTT
may likely increase its investments in its oil business in the
country.
He said that in the next five
years PTT is looking at increasing its planned investment of P4
billion to P5 billion in the Philippines. The amount is projected to
be spent mostly on gas and petrochemical ventures.
Pailin Chuchottaworn, PTT
executive vice-president for petrochemical and refinery business
group, said that PTT also has “ongoing talks with JG Summit for
some form of cooperation.”
He said the Gokongwei family-led
holding company is looking at constructing a petrochemical plant.
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