Thailand delays LNG plan

Thailand delays LNG plan

BANGKOK (Reuter): Thailand delayed its earlier plan to buy 1.7-2.2 million tons a year of liquefied natural gas from Oman due to its reservation about prices quoted, a senior industry ministry official said yesterday.

The Thai and Oman governments signed a memorandum of understanding in August 1996 to buy the LNG from Oman for 25 years, starting from 2003, the official said.

Under the MOU, which was signed by the previous government, both parties were supposed to officially sign a purchase contract in March.

But the Thai government had recently notified the Oman government of its decision to delay the contract signing after Industry Minister Korn Dabbaransi expressed reservations about the deal.

He had said he would like to study LNG projects in other countries before making a decision, the official said.