Bangkok: The Secretary-General of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) has confirmed that recent inspections of oil depots across 22 provinces have found no irregularities, with crude oil reserves deemed sufficient until May.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Danucha Pichayanant, Secretary-General of the NESDC, detailed the comprehensive inspections conducted by the Department of Special Investigation, provincial energy offices, and provincial commerce offices. These inspections spanned 22 locations within seven provinces: Chachoengsao, Nakhon Ratchasima, Udon Thani, Lampang, Phitsanulok, Chumphon, and Songkhla. The inspections covered two categories of jobbers: those without their own depots, reliant on direct buy-and-sell operations, and those with depots who had about ten thousand liters of oil in storage. Both groups were found to be free of any irregularities.
In Songkhla Province, inspections were also conducted on large oil depots under Section 7, including PTT OR and Shell. These depots were found to have oil levels below 50% of capacity, translating to less than 10 million liters out of a total capacity of 25-28 million liters. Despite this, all operations, including buying, selling, and delivery processes, were deemed accurate and free from irregularities. The depots operate efficiently, receiving oil shipments seven days a week, with no issues detected in pricing displays.
Further assessments at gas stations revealed a decrease in the number of stations without fuel, dropping from 450 to 390. The expectation is that fuel supplies will normalize shortly as customer refueling continues.
Thailand currently holds 4,231 million liters of crude oil in reserve, ensuring adequate refining capacity and public use. Additional shipments of 4 million barrels are anticipated by the end of the month, with 24 million barrels expected in April. In May, PTT is set to deliver another 8 million barrels, confirming a steady crude oil supply to meet domestic needs.
Mr. Danucha also highlighted Thailand's oil export activities from March 1-25, noting shipments to Laos averaging over 4.6 million liters per day and to Myanmar at 220,000 liters. To bolster domestic oil security, the Prime Minister has proposed exporting refined oil to Laos instead of using domestically refined oil, with a goal of supplying at least 5 million liters per day. This strategy is currently under detailed examination.