End-users to gain after third-party gas access codes get green light

Commissioner Viraphol Jirapraditkul said that the commission approved the companies’ codes last Monday and they came into effect two days later.

Both companies are required to draw the codes so that third parties authorised by the commission can procure or trade gas while other companies in the energy business can access their pipelines or the gas terminal. This is aimed at promoting competition in the natural gas industry and promoting access to such facilities in a fair and non-discriminatory basis.

The third party access codes identify the duty and rights of the facility owners when providing access, as well as the access details, access improvements, gas properties, gas measurements, the submission of an access request, and the access fee. 

Viraphol said that the move would reduce market monopoly in the pipeline segment and promote greater competition in the natural gas sector, which would benefit end-users.

In a separate matter, he said that the commission’s regulations governing the production of solar power by state agencies and agricultural cooperatives had been published in the Royal Gazette and came into force on March 14. 

The state-sponsored committee overseeing renewable-energy-based electricity will appoint a subcommittee to draw up criteria and qualifications needed for state agencies and cooperatives to take part in the project. This is meant to ensure that the selection process is conducted on a fair basis. Viraphol emphasised that at the moment the project was not open for applications. If state agencies and cooperatives are approached by groups who claim they can get them a permit to produce solar power, they should notify police, he said.