PTT pipelines talks on, Philippines LPG facility

MANILA, Philippines – PTT Philippines Corp. remains keen on investing in a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in the country but no timetable has yet been set, its top officials said.

“The discussion on LNG is in the pipeline,” PTT Philippines general manager Danilo Alabado said.

LNG is natural gas that has been converted into liquid for ease of storage or transport.

The shift to LNG is inevitable but adoption will take some time, PTT Philippines president and CEO Sukanya Seriyothin said.

“It’s a long process before it is done so we cannot mention even the name or anything about that. Many will eventually go to LNG,” she noted.

The Department of Energy (DOE) is drafting an LNG masterplan to guide investments in the sector and attract LNG players in the country.

The local unit of Thailand’s largest petroleum company has been pushing for the LNG investment and this needs the go-signal from its parent company to push through.

“In PTT head office, we separate this business unit. We are the ones who coordinate with PTT, and we are the ones who would like to invest in LNG,” Seriyothin said.

In 2011, PTT Philippines expressed interest in putting up a 1,200-megawatt LNG facility in Limay, Bataan.

PTT Public Co. Ltd. vice president for international marketing Wisarn Chawalitanon said the Philippine unit intends to enter the business of supplying LNG as transportation fuel, an alternative to gasoline and diesel, instead.

However, the Philippine market needs to adapt vehicles for LNG use to be able to enjoy the benefits of the alternative fuel.