Petrochem plants in Rayong trying to cope with the water crisis

18-Aug-05

In the absence of heavy rains in Thailand's Rayong area, the water supply in the two main reservoirs - Dok Krai and Nong Pla Lai, will be able to feed the industrial plants in the area only up till September 22. While the petrochemical plants in Map Ta Phut, Rayong wait for the government to develop measures to deal with the water crisis, they are clambering to find short and long term solutions to cope with the water crisis in the Eastern Seaboard. As a long-term measure, studies are being conducted on the feasibility of installing a reverse-osmosis system to desalinate seawater. *As an emergency measure, CementThai Chemical Co. Ltd., the chemical arm of Siam Cement Group, has adopted a "reduce, re-use and reverse" water policy for its production process. A large reservoir being dug to accommodate 240,000 cubic metres of water, should be sufficient to supply the entire group's operations in Map Ta Phut for a month. This will be particularly valuable when Eastern Water Resources Management and Development Plc stops supplying water. *Petrochemical plants under the PTT Group plan to ship water to the site, and is buying up private wells in nearby areas to ensure sufficient supplies. *Glow Energy Plc, meanwhile, has built its own well, to stock up to 40,000 cubic metres, in addition to its plan to ship water into the area. Currently, the Thai government is coping with handling the crisis. The Eastern Water has started pulling 100,000 cubic metres of water a day from the Rayong River to deliver to the area. In addition, artificial rainmaking is expected to increase the supply by 200,000 cubic metres a day. Of top most concern is the manner in which this crisis will be handled after Q1 of next year. In a bid to prevent a dent in investor confidence due to halted production because of the water shortage, the Cabinet plans to approve a special procurement process to speed up four medium-term projects, at a cost of Bt4.6 billion. The projects include: - Laying a Bt2.5-billion, 52.5-kilometre pipeline between Bang Pakong and Chon Buri - Laying a Bt1.7-billion, 34km pipeline between Prasae and Khlong Yai reservoirs - Laying a Bt141-million, 3km pipeline from Khlong Yai to Nong Pla Lai - Llaying a Bt300 million, 6km pipeline from Dok Krai to Nong Pla Lai.