LPG fuel: Explosive growth

Since govt pays for most of it (global price $900; govt price $333) more people moving to LPG, even tourist shuttle buses, farm machinery, water pumps, & forklifts.

Chumphon fishermen are seen on a fishing trawler with LPG cylinders equipped with lamps. They use cooking gas as a main source of electricity instead of petrol which is much more expensive.

Click button to listen to Subsidised Growth in LPG download

Economics

LPG demand continues on upward path

More business sectors turn to subsidised fuel
25/10/2012
Yuthana Praiwan

Demand for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has risen substantially in the first nine months as operators in various sectors have shifted to the subsidised fuel...

...LPG consumption surged 15% ...in the transport sector and and 13.7% in the household sector... during January to September.

Overall, LPG consumption grew 7% over the period ...

Other business sectors have also turned to LPG, including the agricultural and tourism industries...

LPG imports [are expected to] rise 38% next year to 180,000 tonnes per month....

Water pumps, forklifts, tractors, harvesters and shuttle buses in tourist areas have been modified to be compatible with LPG. This will lead to gas demand expanding sharply... However, some operators have modified LPG cylinders used in households for use in the transport sector and this is very dangerous...

There are 1,090 LPG pumps nationwide, up 22.5% from 890 pumps in 2010.

Since 2008, when oil skyrocketed to $140 a barrel, Thailand has changed to an LPG-importing country from a major regional exporter. Thailand produces 75% of the LPG it needs, with the other 25% imported.

LPG has had its price capped in Thailand for over a decade, at $333 per tonne, though the actual price is now $900 in the global market.

The Yingluck Shinawatra government announced it would float the LPG price last year, but has delayed the move several times.

Meanwhile, ... demand for gasohol E20 [is expected] to triple next year to 3.6 million litres per day from 1.13 million litres at present due to the growing number of E20-compatible vehicles.

E20 consumption nearly doubled to 1.13 million litres last month from 644,000 litres the same period last year. Demand is expected to boom next year when regular petrol is phased out from the Thai market.

(Source: Bangkok Post, Economics, LPG demand continues on upward path, More business sectors turn to subsidised fuel, 25/10/2012, Yuthana Praiwan, link) 


Energy Markets Vocabulary

liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) - a mixture of hydrocarbon gases that burns easily (flammable) used as a fuel in motor vehicles such as cars, trucks, buses and taxis, and for cooking, produced from natural gas in a refinery (See Wikipedia)

demand - the need and desire to buy goods and services by households and businesses  ความต้องการ
LPG demand

subsidised - when the government pays part of the cost of something ให้ความช่วยเหลือด้านการเงิน
fuel - a chemical substance used to make electricity or produces heat such as oil, coal or gas  เชื้อเพลิง, เชื้อไฟ
subsidised fuel

substantial (adjective) - large in size, value or importance มากมาย, ยิ่งใหญ่, สำคัญ
substantially (adverb)
risen substantially - increased by a large and important amount

sector - a part of the economy ภาคเศรษฐกิจของประเทศ (public sector = government, private sector = all businesses, household sector = families and consumers, banking sector,...) (See Wikipedia)

business sectors
agricultural sector
tourism sector

transport - to move people or things from one place to another ขนส่ง
transport sector

household - a group of people, often a family, who live together ครัวเรือน
household sector

operators - businesses doing some business
operators in various sectors

shifted to ... - changed to ..., moved to ..., started using the new ...

consumption - using, eating or drinking something; 2. goods and services that households (families) buy; money spent by households and families on goods and services การบริโภค (See Wikipedia)

surged - increased quickly เพิ่มขึ้นอย่างรวดเร็ว More details from DPA the German news agency: The
consumption surged
LPG consumption

expected - believe will happen คาดว่า (จะเกิดขึ้น)
imports expected to rise 38%

pump  - เครื่องสูบน้ำ, ปั๊ม, ปั๊มน้ำ
water pumps

vehicles - machines with an engine used to carry people or goods from place to place ยานพาหนะ

forklift - a vehicle used to move heavy goods around a warehouse and to load goods on trucks รถยก
tractor -  แทรกเตอร์, รถแทรกเตอร์, รถไถ
harvester - harvesting machinery; a large machine that moves through the fields gathering crops (harvesting) เครื่องเกี่ยว, เครื่องมือเก็บเกี่ยว

shuttle buses - a small bus that sends people short distances to places they need to go (examples: shuttle bus between terminals at airport, from condo or hotel to shopping mall)
shuttle buses in tourist areas

compatible – able to exist or be used together without causing problems ซึ่งสอดคล้องกัน,ซึ่งเข้ากันได้,ซึ่งอยู่ด้วยกันได้
modified to be compatible with LPG

expand - increase in size
sharply - a large change that happens quickly and suddenly
demand expanding sharply

cylinder – an object shaped like a wide tube; a metal container for gas or liquid กระบอก
LPG cylinders - the long metal containers used to store LPG (LPG for cooking, for example)

modified – changed slightly, especially in order to improve it or use it in different way ถูกดัดแปลง
modified LPG cylinders used in households

nationwide - throughout a whole country ทั่วทั้งประเทศ ทั่วประเทศ
There are 1,090 LPG pumps nationwide

skyrocketed - increased suddenly by a very large amount, very quickly (like a rocket shot up in the sky) ที่สูงขึ้นมาก
barrel – oil barrel; a large round container, usually made of wood or metal, with flat ends and, usually, curved sides (used to store oil)  ถังใส่ของเหลว
oil skyrocketed to $140 a barrel

capped - created an upper limit (no more than this value)
decade - a period of ten years ทศวรรษ, ระยะเวลา 10 ปี
price capped for over a decade, at $333 per tonne

actual - real; existing in fact จริง
global - throughout the world ทั่วโลก
the actual price is now $900 in the global market

float price - let price move freely (not fixing it at some value)
float the LPG price

delay - change something to a later time; make happen more slowly ทำให้ล่าช้า, ทำให้ช้า, ทำให้หยุดยั้ง, ทำให้เสียเวลา, เลื่อน
move - an action (doing something)
delayed the move several times

gasohol E20 - a mixture of 20% ethanol and 80% gasoline; which saves money when oil prices are rising (See Wikipedia)
demand for gasohol E20
E20-compatible vehicles

triple - three times the number or size of something จำนวนสามเท่า
expected to triple next year

phase out - stop doing or using something (reducing in steps until end)
next year when regular petrol is phased out from the Thai market