Thailand's state-owned PTT is planning to bring its 7.5mn t/yr Nong Fab LNG import project on line in the second quarter of 2022, ahead of concerns for a gas supply shortage next year.
The concerns arise because of trouble encountered by PTT in accessing the country's Erawan offshore gas project. Chevron currently operates the project, under a production sharing agreement that is due to expire in April 2022.
PTT is due to take over the concession upon the agreement's expiration, but has struggled to obtain access to the project to install production facilities, the firm said. And with the Erawan project providing around 36pc of total Thai gas production and 25pc of aggregate gas supply in the country in 2022, disruption to output at the field could lead to a gas shortage.
This prospect had led PTT to expedite construction of the Nong Fab LNG terminal, so that the terminal starts a few months ahead of its previous scheduled commissioning later in 2022, to ensure that LNG imports can help to make up any shortfall in domestic gas production.
Nong Fab is the first of a number of planned LNG import capacity additions, with 17.5mn-23.3mn t/yr of capacity scheduled to come on line in the next four years.
| Thailand's planned import terminals | |||
| Project | Operator | Capacity, mn t/yr | Start |
| Nong Fab | PTT | 7.5 | 2Q22 |
| Egat terminal | Egat | 5.0 | 2024 |
| Mab Ta Phut (Phase 3) | Gulf Energy | 5.0-10.8 | 2025 |
| Songkhla | Kowepo, Kogas, TPI | TBC | TBC |
