State enterprises told to go ahead with investment programmes
The State Enterprise Policy Office (Sepo) has urged state enterprises to overlook the current political transition and continue with their investments as originally planned.
Sepo directorgeneral Prapas KongIed said the enterprises must not halt their planned investments, but instead needed to proceed with their plans to help maintain the nation’s economic momentum.
He acknowledged that the state investment budget disbursements during April and May could be lower than planned because of the number of public holidays in this period.
Sepo directly oversees 45 state enterprises, which had by the end of February disbursed Bt51.683 billion from the 2019 investment budget.
Most enterprises had met their targets.
But the state investment budget disbursement is low for two major projects – the first phase of the Thai-Sino high-speed train project by the State Railways of Thailand, and the upgrade to Suvarnabhumi Airport by Airports of Thailand.
The disbursements for some megaprojects have exceeded the targets, including those of the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand’s Orange Line (Thailand Cultural Centre StationMinburi) and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand’s upgrade of the power transmission line in the western and southern regions of Thailand.
He added that deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak had instructed the state enterprises to strive to meet their disbursement targets, which would help keep momentum for the country’s economic growth.
Regarding the PublicPrivate Partnership (PPP) plan for this year, six projects worth Bt85.067 billion have now been endorsed by the ministries involved.
These projects include the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand’s management of a public port for the transfer of liquid products worth Bt13 billion, the Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT)’s KathuPatong Expressway project in Phuket worth Bt14.177 billion, the National Housing Authority’s housing project in Nong Hoi in Chiang Mai worth Bt5.550 billion and the National Housing Authority’s residential projects along the mass transit routes worth Bt4.235 billion.
The involved state agencies will propose these six projects for the PPP board’s consideration this year, and they can do so without the need to wait for the new government to be in place, he added.
