Thailand: Power producer Ratch moving into LNG

Thailand: Power producer Ratch moving into LNG

SET-listed Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding Plc (RATCH), Thailand's
largest private power producer, plans to diversify into liquefied natural
gas (LNG).

Chief executive Rum Herabat said Ratch is in talks to set up new LNG
businesses in Thailand and neighbouring countries.

"We are looking at the floating storage and regasification unit, which the
Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) is working on," Mr Rum
said. "If Egat allows us the honour of being its partner for the project, we
will gladly accept that opportunity."

He said the power-generation sector will remain Ratch's core business. The
company is seeking new businesses to help diversify risks and is interested
in upstream energy, especially LNG.

Mr Rum said Ratch is also interested in mass transit and utilities, and the
company has already teamed up with partners in the joint venture BSR to
invest in the mass transit projects.

He said the company is also considering increasing its stake in the BSR
joint venture, which has won bids for the construction and operation of the
two mass-transit Pink and Yellow lines, which are worth almost 100 billion
baht of investment.

BSR comprises a 75% stake held by BTS Group Holding Plc, 15% held by
Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction Plc and 10% owned by Ratch.

On it core business of power generation, Mr Rum said he does not expect to
see a substantial rise in its power generating capacity next year as it has
no new power generation projects planned.

The company expects its investment budget allocation for next year to be
slightly below this year's 10 billion baht.

Total power generating capacity will remain at around 6,500 megawatts, he
said.

"We are about to submit next year's business plan to the board of
directors," said Mr Rum.

Ratch recently sealed a deal worth A$258 million (6.82 billion baht) to
develop a 180-megawatt wind farm in Australia's Mount Emerald through its
subsidiary, Ratch-Australia Corporation Ltd (RAC).

Ratch posted a 37% rise in net profit in the first nine months of 2016,
largely from additional capacity at a coal-fired power plant in Laos. The
company had a net profit of 3.2 billion baht in the first nine months, up
from 2.3 billion last year.

RATCH shares closed yesterday on the SET at 50 baht, down 25 satang, in
trade worth 47.1 million baht.

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Link to Original Article:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/news/1160721/power-producer-ratch-moving
-into-lng

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John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.

www.aptthailand.com