Bangkok Post
October 23, 2006

Energy Minister Piyasvasti Amranand is expected to discuss the possibility of additional investments by PTT Exploration and Production Plc (PTTEP) when he meets his Burmese counterpart today. Dr Piyasvasti will be accompanying Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont on the official visit to Burma. PTTEP is prepared to search for new sources of oil and gas in Burma in addition to the existing Yadana and Yetagun offshore fields, which produce natural gas. In addition, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) will discuss the progress of the Hutyi hydroelectric dam, for which a preliminary agreement has been signed with Burma and China. The dam, in Burmese territory, would generate 1,200 megawatts of electricity. Once Burma confirms its intention to go ahead with the project, detailed investment negotiations could proceed, according to Pornchai Rujiprapha, the Energy Ministry’s permanent secretary. Construction of the dam would take five to six years, he added.