YUTHANA PRAIWAN
Bangkok Post
Thailand expects to start negotiations with Cambodia on April 21 in Bangkok on offshore petroleum fields in the disputed waters in the Gulf of Thailand, according to Songpop Polachan, deputy director-general of the Department of Mineral Fuels.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs would host the first official negotiations between the two countries in the hope of reaching a conclusion over the controversial area, which covers 26,000 square kilometres.
Mr Songpop said that the Thai government was prepared to propose to Cambodia a model based on the successful Malaysia Thailand Joint Development Area and the Timor Gap Australia-Indonesia Co-operation pact.
Exploration began 30 years ago in the disputed Thai-Cambodian waters, also called the Khmer Basin. Despite the lack of concrete reports on reserves, both countries have sought to tap the overlapping area for potential undersea oil and natural gas potential.
At a time of skyrocketing global oil prices, an area potentially rich with resources proves even more valuable to both countries, which are eager to overcome the dispute and move ahead with their plans.
The two countries have not engaged in any serious talks about the offshore area for the past decade.
Cambodian officials said recently that their unofficial talks in 2006 on the issue had failed to result in a formal round because Thailand needed a larger share over the area than the 50-50 proposed by Cambodia.Thailand is currently focusing on seeking to secure as many energy sources from its neighbours as possible in order to meet its projected growth demand in the near future.
Thailand's combined crude and condensate production in local petroleum fields hit a record high in excess of 200,000 barrels per day last week, Mr Songpop added.
The additional output mainly came from the onshore Na Sanoon field in Phetchabun, operated by Pan Orient Resources Ltd, which helped boost the production to 10,000 barrels a day from 1,500 barrels. The total production was expected to double this year to catch up with the demand growth.
The department also expects PTT Exploration and Production (PTTEP)'s Nang Nual offshore field to be ready to resume crude production this year after being suspended in mid-2006 due to technical errors.
The Nang Nual block was producing 18,000 barrels of crude per day before the suspension.
During the term of the former military-backed government, the Energy Ministry had made all-out efforts to seek crude and natural gas reserves locally to lessen the country's dependence on imported oil.
Last year, Thailand imported crude supplies equivalent to about 808,000 barrels, worth 703 billion baht.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs would host the first official negotiations between the two countries in the hope of reaching a conclusion over the controversial area, which covers 26,000 square kilometres.
Mr Songpop said that the Thai government was prepared to propose to Cambodia a model based on the successful Malaysia Thailand Joint Development Area and the Timor Gap Australia-Indonesia Co-operation pact.
Exploration began 30 years ago in the disputed Thai-Cambodian waters, also called the Khmer Basin. Despite the lack of concrete reports on reserves, both countries have sought to tap the overlapping area for potential undersea oil and natural gas potential.
At a time of skyrocketing global oil prices, an area potentially rich with resources proves even more valuable to both countries, which are eager to overcome the dispute and move ahead with their plans.
The two countries have not engaged in any serious talks about the offshore area for the past decade.
Cambodian officials said recently that their unofficial talks in 2006 on the issue had failed to result in a formal round because Thailand needed a larger share over the area than the 50-50 proposed by Cambodia.Thailand is currently focusing on seeking to secure as many energy sources from its neighbours as possible in order to meet its projected growth demand in the near future.
Thailand's combined crude and condensate production in local petroleum fields hit a record high in excess of 200,000 barrels per day last week, Mr Songpop added.
The additional output mainly came from the onshore Na Sanoon field in Phetchabun, operated by Pan Orient Resources Ltd, which helped boost the production to 10,000 barrels a day from 1,500 barrels. The total production was expected to double this year to catch up with the demand growth.
The department also expects PTT Exploration and Production (PTTEP)'s Nang Nual offshore field to be ready to resume crude production this year after being suspended in mid-2006 due to technical errors.
The Nang Nual block was producing 18,000 barrels of crude per day before the suspension.
During the term of the former military-backed government, the Energy Ministry had made all-out efforts to seek crude and natural gas reserves locally to lessen the country's dependence on imported oil.
Last year, Thailand imported crude supplies equivalent to about 808,000 barrels, worth 703 billion baht.
