Fuel consumption up 13.5% last year

Domestic fuel consumption rose 13.5% year-on-year last year on the country's reopening and improving Covid-19 situation, the Department of Energy Business reported.

Director-general Nanthika Thangsupanich said on Tuesday that resumed land and air traffic as the country reopened and eased Covid measures was a major factor in lifting fuel consumption.

Last year domestic fuel consumption averaged 151.16 million litres per day (MLD), up 13.5% from 133.15 MLD in 2021.

Consumption went up by 3.9% to 30.16 MLD for petrol, 15.7% to 73.05 MLD for diesel and 88% to 9.14 MLD for jet fuel.

The annual increase was 5.9% to 17.5 MLD for liquefied petroleum gas, 8.9% to 3,400 tonnes a day for compressed natural gas (CNG) and 15.7% to 6.4 MLD for fuel oil.

Use of kerosene shrank by 15.9% to 0.01 MLD while imports of fuels, crude oil, LPG and refined oil rose by 10.6% to 991,268 barrels per day (BPD).

Exports of refined oil declined by 21.5% to 159,414 BPD.