NBTC INKS MoU WITH SOUTH KOREAN COUNTERPART

NBTC broadcasting committee chairman Natee Sukonrat has said that the MoU will lead to more collaboration between both sides in developing TV series and other types of TV programmes.
The MoU will also lead to co-productions between the governments of the two countries, and cooperation between broadcasters in the broadcasting of content and exchanging programmes. It will also result in the promotion of the participation by related parties in broadcasting content, such as seminars and exhibitions, and exchanging relevant information and personnel related to regulations and policies for broadcasting content.
South Korean TV series have been popular among Thai viewers. CJ E&M, South Korea’s leading entertainment and media company, has formed a joint venture, Ture CJ Creations, with TrueVisions to create local TV shows.

INDONESIAN INVESTMENT NOT LINKED TO KRABI PROJECT: EGATI 

Egat International’s (Egati) investment in Adaro Indonesia, a coal miner, has nothing to do with the Krabi coal-fired power project, said the agency’s president Watchara Hemruchatanun. 
Watchara responded to an allegation that the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) is pushing ahead with the controversial coal-fired power project in southern Thailand because it has invested in the Indonesian mine.
He said the heating value of most coal from the Adaro mine did not match the requirements of the Krabi plant, which the National Energy Policy Committee had approved on Thursday. “Therefore, this mine has no coal that can be sold to the Krabi coal-fired power project,” he said.
Watchara said the main purpose of Egati’s investment in Adaro was to guard against fuel risk for its future coal-fired power projects abroad, such as the Quang Tri 1 thermal power project in Vietnam, and to strengthen and create growth for Egati – an overseas investment arm of Egat. 
Adaro is an operating coal mine which has generated an immediate return on its investment to the company, and has clients from 14 countries including Japan, China, India, South Korea, and Spain.
When Egati invested in Adaro, global coal prices were in a prolonged slump and many coal mines closed down but Adaro continued due to its lower costs. And after coal prices recovered late last year, Egati has received a much higher than expected return from the Indonesian mine, he said.
“As Egati reports a good operating result from this investment, it will help relieve financial support from Egat, and it can raise capital to finance its expansion on its own, as well as strengthen its potential to compete in power business abroad. 
“This kind of investment is a practice that has been implemented internationally including in Japan where utilities take stakes in an upstream business which is a coal mine to secure fuel for their power projects,” said the Egati president.

CHINA UNWAVERING IN STEEL CAPACITY CUT: OFFICIAL

China will be unwavering in its efforts to eliminate excess steel production capacity this year, an official said. Xu Lejiang, vice minister of industry and information technology told a press conference, responding to concerns about the government's next steps after recent steel price hikes.
“The government’s resolution to downsize the steel sector will not be shaken, and the efforts will not weaken,” Xu said.
Xu stressed that 2017 would be a crucial period for the capacity cut. – China Daily/ANN