Thailand goes ahead with CBG development plan

BANGKOK, July 21 (TNA) - The Ministry of Energy has moved forward with its compressed bio-methane gas (CBG) development plan, as Thailand is facing soaring prices of natural gas for vehicles (NGV) and NGV shortages in northern and northeastern regions. Citing a recent research by Chiang Mai University, Suthep Liumsirijarern, Director General of the ministry’s Energy Policy and Planning Office, said Saturday that CBG converted from livestock manure could be used as a substitute for NGV. Suthep acknowledged that his ministry has a policy on promoting national energy security through funding research projects on the development of renewable and clean energy technologies, and that a number of studies on the CBG development were funded last year alone with very pleasing results. Suthep pointed out that, given his ministry's support, Universal Adsorbents & Chemicals Public Company Limited (UAC) and Maejo University have jointly installed the CBG system in Chiang Mai’s Mae Taeng district, which is now capable of producing six tons of CBG a day, sufficient for fuel 500 passenger vehicles a day and equivalent to 1.6 million tons of Thailand's imported diesel each year. According to the senior official, developed countries, namely Germany, now have technologies to produce usable methane-based biogas; while Thailand has over 6,800 methane-based biogas plants nationwide which are capable of generating 1,600 Megawatt of power per day. (TNA)