Oil discoveries in Gulf of Thailand

Three concession holders for petroleum exploration have found oil in their concession fields in the Gulf of Thailand.

Pearl Oil found petroleum in G6/50 field; Chevron (Thailand) discovered it in G7/50; and PTT Exploration and Production (PTTEP) made its find in the G8/50 field.

They were granted the concessions in the 20th round of concession granting by the Department of Mineral Fuels.

The department's director general, Songpob Polchan, said concession holders should promote good understanding with communities in their areas.

As part of this effort, the department, together with PTTEP, Chevron, Pearl Oil, Salamander Energy and CEC International, yesterday each donated Bt200,000 to purฌchase relief packages for floodhit people in Chumphon, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Surat Thani.

Last year the department distributed a manual of guidelines for holding public hearings to all concession holders.

In related news, Chevron's Pla Thong 2 gas field in the Gulf of Thailand will start generating 330 million cubic feet per day by the end of this year, while PTTEP's Bongkot South field will be producing 320 million cubic feet per day by late next year.