Thursday, October 6, 2005
Thailand invites Indian oil firms to look for oil and gas
Press Trust of India
New Delhi, October 5, 2005
Thailand on Wednesday invited Indian firms to explore for oil and gas in its offshore region and invest in setting up CNG distribution network for automobile sector.
"We discussed cooperation (between India and Thailand) in upstream (oil and gas exploration and production) and renewable energy," Thailand's Energy Minister Viset Choopiban said after a meeting with the Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar.
He said Indian companies were welcome to invest in E&P in Gulf of Thailand and participate in the current auction of oil and gas blocks.
"(We) invite Indian companies to take a look at developing CNG infrastructure (in Thailand)," he said.
Aiyar on his part invited Thai companies to invest in Indian E&P and in the new export-oriented refineries being planned at Vizag and Mangalore.
Officials said Thailand was looking at cooperation with India in developing bio-fuels so as to reduce its dependence on imports. Investing in Indian refineries would also help it cut its dependence on import of petroleum products.
The Thai delegation visited Petroleum Conservation Research Assocation (PCRA) office this afternoon to get a first hand account of Jatropha plantation programme. Non-edible oil from Jatropha is being planned to be mixed in diesel to cut country's import dependence.
© HT Media Ltd. 2005.