Both the director-general of the Internal Trade Department and the Energy Minister have insisted to citizens over the past couple days that the expected natural gas shortage this April will not affect Thailand’s stock of cooking oil.
The ministers’ statements came in response to reports that purchasers of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) were offering premium rates to vendors in order to guarantee their supply of the commodity, commonly used for cooking, between April 5 and 14. During those dates, planned maintenance on a gas platform in Myanmar will result in Thailand losing up to a quarter of its overall energy supply.
However, Wiboonlasana Ruamraksa, the Internal Trade Department’s director-general, is insisting the Kingdom’s supply of cooking oil won’t be affected.
“There will be enough cooking gas to meet demand,” she said in conversation with the Bangkok Post.
In a complimentary statement, Energy Minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisal said that the Energy Business Department would inspect filling stations, LPG storehouses and retail locations in order to ensure that gas hoarding was not taking place.
