Thai Oil plans 18 billion baht expansion

Thai Oil and its subsidiary Thai Paraxylene plan to raise their production capacity this year with an investment of US$500 million. The project will include a new sulfur treatment unit for jet fuel, which will be completed in April 2007, and the construction of a third crude distillation unit, which began in January 2006. Managing Director Viroj Mavichak said this will make Thai Paraxylene Thailand’s leading fully integrated producer of aromatics. All the projects are expected to be completed in the final quarter of 2007 and will be showing a good return on investment in 2008, Viroj said. He added that the company will disclose the financial details of its investment plans in the first quarter of 2007. (December 28, 2006)