The maintenance shutdown of Bongkot natural gas field in the Gulf of Thailand should not disrupt electricity generation, says energy giant PTT Plc.
The shutdown, which began on April 10 and runs to April 27, will affect 630 standard million cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) of gas supply, or 14% of Thailand's total demand.
But PTT senior executive vice-president Chakree Buranakanon said the firm is monitoring operations at the block that supplies gas and condensate.
"We hope everyone is confident about PTT's repair and maintenance capability. This shutdown was listed in our annual plan with an aim to stabilise and boost the efficiency of the country’s energy supply," said Mr Chakree.
PTT sought natural gas from other sources to supply the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) together with 130 million cubic feet of fuel oil.
However, gas demand for electricity generation was lower than estimates during the Songkran holidays. From today until Sunday, PTT will step up its supply of gas on the main roads heading towards Bangkok for the expected crush of traffic as motorists return from the Songkran holiday.
From June 13 to July 10, NGV stations in the southern provinces will close for 10-day periods during the disruption of gas supply from the A18 block in the Thailand-Malaysia Joint Development Area (JDA) field. The disruption is expected to affect 400 MMSCFD, 9.3% of Thailand's total gas consumption.
The south has 19 of the country's 476 NGV stations.
Mr Chakree said PTT has a plan to minimise the effects in every sector.
"We are starting to inform NGV users, but we need cooperation from motorists on two-wheel vehicles to avoid using NGV during this repair period," he said.
To cope with the supply disruption, the Energy Ministry and Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) aim to cut power usage by 300 megawatts during peak hours by asking business operators to adjust working hours.
ERC developed a campaign with the Federation of Thai Industries from next month to cut power usage during the peak hours of 6.30-10.30pm in southern provinces.