Retail outlets will continue selling regular petrol at pumps until the end of the year, giving Thai motorists a couple of extra months to prepare for the change, which is intended to promote greater use of ethanol-based fuels, Energy Minister Arak Chonlatanon said on Thursday.
Originally, petrol 91 was scheduled to be phased out in January this year, then it was postponed until October because local refineries were not ready for the change.
In October, a fire at the Bangkok refinery of Bangchak Petroleum Plc resulted in a supply shortage, he added.
The ministry will mandate that petrol 91 be phased out in December 2012 in line with its policy to promote greater use of bio fuel in transportation.
Thailand consumes 20-21 million litres of petrol a day, of which gasohol E10, E20 and E85 combined account for 12 million litres. The rest, around eight million litres, is pure petrol.