PTT urged to speed up probe into pipeline blast

Kanchanaburi: A local conservation group is calling on energy giant PTT to speed up its investigation of the gas pipe explosion in Samut Prakan and review its safety measures to prevent a recurrence.

Pinan Chotirosserani, head of the Kanchanaburi Conservation Group, said the Oct 23 blast in Samut Prakan’s Bang Bo district, which killed three people and injured more than 50, has caused alarm among residents living near gas distribution pipelines in the province.

She was referring to the Thai-Myanmar gas pipeline, which was launched in 1997 to deliver imported natural gas from Myanmar’s Yadana gas fields to the Electricity Generation Authority of Thailand’s 2,800-megawatt powerplant in Ratchaburi.

The pipeline passes through several communities in Kanchanaburi’s Thong Pha Phum, Sai Yok, and Dan Makhamtei districts, before it enters Chom Bung district in…