Regarding the expiring petroleum concessions, Anantaporn said his ministry might be able to finalise guidelines to solve the contentious issue by the end of next month.
A senior energy official told The Nation that the best possible solution was to extend the concessions to the existing operators, which would require an amendment of relevant petroleum laws.
Benefits for the state
"But to attain more benefits for the state, the government should also acquire more shares in these offshore petroleum fields. By which agency or on which method, that has to be decided. The Ministry of Finance, for instance, could represent the state to take shares in the field, as it has done with Esso (Thailand)," said the source, who asked not to be named.
PTT Exploration and Production and Chevron hold petroleum contracts that are due to expire from 2022-2023, which together account for more than 65 per cent of Thailand's petroleum production at present.