Ministry Determined To Pursue Energy-saving Drive

[george]

Energy Ministry determined to pursue energy-saving drive

BANGKOK: -- The Energy Ministry is determined to pursue the energy-saving campaign focused on a plan to restructure the energy consumption of the transport and industrial sectors.

Metta Bunterngsuk, Director-General of the Energy Policy and Planning Office, said nobody could project the direction of crude prices because they hinged on global fuel prices.

What the Energy Ministry could do now to help reduce the oil import was to follow up the drive to conserve fuel or locate alternative fuel.

All segments of the society must also be instilled with a sense of responsibility for the energy conservation.

He said the ministry set a target to reduce the energy consumption value by 200 billion baht in the next five years or by 2009 with an emphasis on the planned restructuring of the transport and industrial sectors since both consume 70-80% of the country’s total energy.

Under the plan, people would be encouraged to travel by public vehicles such as electric trains and buses instead of private cars. The mass transit system would be improved to attract people.

He said the ministry hoped to see the energy consumption value in the transport sector reduce by 75 billion baht, that in the industrial sector by 65 billion, and that in the public and private sectors by 60 billion.

“We will follow up the so-called ‘Kick Off” campaign launched on 1 June by providing advice on energy-saving methods on a continual basis.

“The campaign is proven to be more fruitful than expected because it could save power consumption by up to 700-800 megawatts instead of 500 megawatts as earlier projected. It shows people are fully ready to cooperate in the energy-saving campaign.”

At 20.45 hours of 1 June, Mr. Metta disclosed, people around the countries joined the drive by turning off around 20 million lights, which could save around 702 megawatts.

In other words, around 10 million of the total 14 million Thai households participated in the campaign on that day, he said.

--TNA 2005-06-07