Energy Ministry to check stock of oil palm productivity this year

BANGKOK, 25 January 2010 (NNT) – The Ministry of Energy expedites the checking of this year stock of oil palm to ensure consumers of its sufficiency for bio diesel B3 production for next year consumption.

Energy Minister Wannarat Channukul stated that he instructed related agencies to accelerate stock checking of palm, crude palm oil, and bio diesel B100 this year. This was meant to support the use of new standard of diesel oil production with 3% of B100 or B3, an increase by 1% from the existing B2. The production of diesel oil next year would need bio diesel B100 at 1.7 million tons/day, from 1.5 million tons/day. Checking stock of oil palm was to ensure sufficient materials in future production with no impact on crude oil palm for consumption.

Mr Veerapon Jirapraditkul, the Director of the Energy Policy and Planning Office, said that the price structure of bio diesel B3 was under consideration since the production cost of B3 was higher than B2. Thus, the declaration of using B3 would take place when oil price tended to decrease; otherwise, the production cost would affect retail price in the country and consumers.