The Royal Gazette has published the Prime Minister's order suspending fuel exports in response to the Middle East situation.

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The Royal Gazette has published an order from the Prime Minister temporarily suspending the export of certain types of refined oil and liquefied petroleum gas to prevent the risk of domestic energy shortages.

March 6, 2569 – Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister An order was signed out outlining measures to address and prevent fuel shortages, stating that:

With the escalating conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran, leading to retaliatory air strikes on several strategically important areas in the Middle East, and intensified restrictions on shipping lanes in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz—critical shipping routes that will impact Thailand's fuel supply—it becomes impossible to predict when the situation will end.

In order to prevent and resolve the fuel shortage problem, and by virtue of the powers conferred by Section 3 of the Fuel Shortage Prevention and Mitigation Act B.E. 2516 (1973), the Prime Minister hereby issues the following order:

Article 1. This order shall come into effect from the date of its publication in the Royal Gazette.

Article 2. Oil traders operating under the law governing the oil trade are temporarily suspended from exporting the following oil products outside the Kingdom until further notice.

(1) Finished oil products include:

(a) Gasoline
(b) Gasohol / Basic gasoline
(c) High-speed diesel fuel
(d) Fuel for Jet A1 aircraft.

(2) Liquefied petroleum gas

Article 3. This order shall not apply to the export of fuel oil outside the Kingdom as specified in Article 2 in the following cases:

(1) Exports to the Lao People's Democratic Republic and the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.

(2) Fuel imported for export stored in bonded warehouses or duty-free zones in accordance with the Customs Act.

(3) Fuel that does not conform to the characteristics and quality of the Department of Energy Business Announcement on the determination of the characteristics and quality of fuel, which cannot be sold in the Kingdom.

Article 4 requires oil traders to comply with Section 7 of the Fuel Oil Trading Act, B.E. 2543 (2000).

Fuel reserves as per Section 2 (1) produced in the Kingdom at a rate of 1.5 percent from 31 March 2569 and at a rate of 3 percent from 30 April 2569.

The calculation of fuel reserve quantities, the application for approval of fuel storage locations and the conditions that the approved party must comply with, the delegation of fuel storage to other parties, and any other actions related to fuel reserves must be in accordance with the principles, methods, and conditions stipulated in the Fuel Trading Act.

Clause 5. In cases where an oil trader under Section 7 of the Fuel Oil Trading Act B.E. 2543 (2000) provides credible written evidence that circumstances have prevented the oil trader from stockpiling fuel oil at the rate specified in Clause 4, or that such stockpiling would cause the oil trader undue damage, the Director-General of the Department of Energy Business, with the approval of the Minister of Energy, shall have the power to issue an order granting a temporary exemption from the requirement to stockpile fuel oil, or to reduce the amount of fuel oil that must be stockpiled, for a period deemed appropriate. In this case, the Director-General of the Department of Energy Business, with the approval of the Minister of Energy, may also specify conditions for the exemption.

 

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