Bangchak restarts oil depot, biodiesel plant

Bangchak president Anusorn Sangnimnuan said yesterday that the company’s oil depot and B100 biodiesel plant at Bang Pa-in would restart operations now that the situation in the province had improved.
The water level on the road in front of the biodiesel plant has dropped to 40 centimetres, which means transportation by truck of crude palm oil and B100 diesel can resume.
The resumption of operations at its oil depot in Bang Pa-in will make it easier to transport oil to the North and Northeast.
However, Bangchak’s 76 petrol stations in flood-hit areas remain closed.
The biodiesel plant will resume full production of 300,000 litres per day, Anusorn said, adding that the company’s solar plant Phase 1, located nearby with a capacity of 8 megawatts, is expected to resume operations in March after its output was also suspended by the floods.
The height of the flood barrier at the solar plant will be raised further to prevent future inundation, he said.
The company’s refinery in the Bangchak area of Bangkok has not been affected by the flooding and has continued to operate as normal. However, it currently produces 90,000 barrels per day, down from the usual level of 100,000 barrels, in response to declining demand during the flood crisis.
It is expected to resume production at the normal rate next month, the company president said.
Anusorn said the cost to the company, including its contribution to society during the flooding, was Bt100 million. It has also suffered a revenue loss of about Bt100 million.
These losses will be offset by the higher October-November refining margin of US$7 (Bt215) per barrel, versus $6 per barrel in the third quarter, he added.