PTT Plc, the national oil and gas conglomerate, plans to import 3.8 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 2018, on par with last year.
PTT forecasts the country's gas demand will grow to an average of 4,800-4,900 million cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) this year, compared with 4,750 in 2017.
Chansin Treenuchagron, chief technology and engineering officer, said a construction contract for the second phase of the company's fifth gas pipeline project should be secured by the second quarter, with operations starting in 2020 or 2021.
The 96.5-billion-baht on-shore phase of the pipeline, projected to be 415 kilometres long, is targeted to improve gas supply from the east to the central and western parts of the country.
"The pipeline links up off-shore gas fields with gas separation and gas-fired power plants," said Mr Chansin.
He said gas distribution capacity will increase to 7,000 MMSCFD once the second phase is operational.
PTT is also expanding the capacity of its LNG receiving terminal in Map Ta Phut to 11.5 million tonnes per annum (MPTA).
That upgrade is expected to be complete in 2019.
Chief executive Tevin Vongvanich said the company intends to develop a second LNG import terminal with handling capacity of 7.5 million tonnes per year in Nong Fab, to be located near its existing terminal in Rayong.
He said the project has been approved by the government, with construction scheduled for 2020 and operations starting in 2023.
"[The project] will increase the company's import capacity to 19 MTPA. While its capacity utilisation is quite low, PTT aims to reach 100% by 2030," said Mr Tevin.
The Energy Ministry estimates flat gas demand in the coming years because of independent power supply (IPS), including the installation of solar rooftop panels.
Several dozen firms and state agencies have gotten in on the IPS game over the last three years.
Electricity generation from IPS helped peak power demand come in lower than its projection in 2017 for the first time ever. The projection was for 29,000 megawatts last year during the March to May peak period.
Meanwhile, the Energy Regulatory Commission is collecting data on the number of solar rooftops in the country to better predict power supply and demand for its long-term plan.
Around 60% of Thailand's power is generated through gas and 20% through coal, while the remainder is either imported from Laos and produced through renewable energy.
