Retail LPG price held steady despite surge in global rate Thailand and Myanmar about rescheduling YUTHANA PRAIWAN their shutdown plans. The domestic retail price of liquefied petro- Five gas resources are scheduled to shut be kept unchanged for another down next year, potentially leading to power month even though the global LPG price blackouts or brownouts. is rising. The Malaysia-Thailand Joint Development The Energy Policy Administration Com rea's A-18 gas block is to shut down in April tee (Epac) yesterday approved a meas- for 12 days, while the onshore Sinphuhorm ure to peg the LPG price using a sub gas field is to shut down in September for sidy from the state Oil Fund, said Twarath 10 days. abut, director-general of the Energy Myanmar's Zawtika field will shut down Policy and Planning Office. for 10 days in March, while the The LPG contracted price for December will shut down for four days in March and rose to US$466 a tonne from $411 in Novem three daysin April. The Yetakunresourcewill ber, pushing the retail LPG price up by 70 shut down for 10 days in April assigned satang per kilogramme. Egat and PTT have been With the state subsidy, retail LPG in to arrange talks with gas operators to Bangkok will remain at 22.29 baht a kilo- reschedule their shutdowns for long gramme. The government will add 1.31 weekends or during the monsoon season baht per kilogramme in subsidy to the cur to avoid blackouts, t 61.30 satang The shutdown of the three gas resources a result, the total subsidy paid by the in Myanmar could mean a supply disruption oil Fund willrise to 557 million baht a month for Thailand's power-generating system of nearly 7,000 megawatts roughly 25% of from 300 million. The fund has an estimated 7.93 billion the count total power supply Mr Twarath said next year's peak energy baht in cash on hand Also yesterday, Epac asked PTT Plc, the demand would rise to29,000 MW from27,346 country's sole gas seller, and the Electricity MW in June this year, with the hot season Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) to predicted to last usual and talk to onshore and of shore gas operators in demand for air conditioning