The ministers will also discuss the country’s export situation, he added.

The Commerce Ministry will present the latest export report to the meeting as well as the measures to boost exports for the rest of this year.

He added that the council wants to tackle all problems in the tourism sector, which is entering the high season.

The meeting will also focus on gross domestic product this year meeting the target of 3 per cent.

The next council meetings, scheduled for October 16 and November 1, will discuss ways to help small and medium-sized enterprises survive the economic difficulties and creative economy issues.

There has been speculation for some time that the members have been under pressure to resign, as the minister reportedly wants to reconstitute the board.

The current board still has some key projects to handle.The ministry has set October 15 as the deadline for the consortium led by Thai conglomerate Charoen Pokphand (CP) group to sign a contract with the SRT to build the high-speed railway linking three major international airports.

The CP-led consortium had proposed the lowest price in the bid, but it would be deemed as abandoning the project if it failed to sign the contract with the SRT on that date.

The Energy Ministry plans to launch biodiesel B10, made up of 90 per cent diesel and 10 per cent palm oil.

It will be Bt2 cheaper per litre than the current Bt7 per litre, said Somboon Norkaew, deputy permanent secretary at the Energy Ministry.

Of the 100 palm oil refineries, nine have met the palm oil standards required for it to be mixed with diesel, he said.

Four other manufacturers are upgrading their production process and are expected to be able to meet the criterion by the end of this year.

Palm oil producers are required to reduce monoglyceride to be less than 0.4 per cent from the current 0.7 per cent. Meanwhile, diesel refinery plants must reduce water content to less than 200 parts per million (ppm) from the current level of 300ppm. The standard is set by Japanese automobile manufacturers.

He said he will soon consult with palm oil producers in preparation for the B10 launch nationwide in January. It will be available at some gas stations starting from October this year, he said.

Auttapol Rerkpiboon, chairman of the PTT Oil and Retail Business (PTTOR), said that the B10 oil would be available nationwide by January next year. Currently it is available at 100 out of its total 1,800 petrol stations. By the end of this year, about 150 petrol stations would provide B10 to customers. The PTTOR currently also sells B20 at 500 petrol stations, he said.

Currently, B10 is Bt1 cheaper per litre than B7, he said.

Chairit Simaroj, managing director at Susco Public Company Limited said B10 will be available in January and the company will stop selling B7. Currently, the company also sells B20 at 105 petrol stations.

“My concern is the high cost of production of palm oil because the government guarantees fresh palm at Bt4 per kilogram, but if the government could make B10 cheaper than B7, by Bt2 per litre, then it would encourage consumption,” he added.

The European aircraft manufacturer and Thai authorities have still not agreed on the framework of investment in a maintenance, repair and overhaul of aircraft (MRO) at U-tapao International Airport in Rayong province, according to the source at the EECO.

The Thai side insists that the joint venture between Airbus and Thai Airways be a public-private partnership (PPP) as a public infrastructure project whose assets would be handed over to the government after 50 years of operation.

Airbus, however, is opposed to a PPP joint venture, and instead wants it to be a joint investment project between two private companies without a lifespan for the project.

The source said that the selection committee responsible for selecting a partner for the investment project may need to forward Airbus’ proposal to the Cabinet for consideration, or make changes to the previous investment framework.

The source said that Airbus remains interested in the MRO investment projects as it sees its potential.

According to the Thai Airways investment plan, Thai Airways will invest Bt2 billion between 2023 and 2043 of the total estimated investment of Bt6.3 billion in the project. The rest will be invested by business partners. The land area designated for this investment is 210 rai.

Its capacity is about 80 to 100 planes. If investment goes as planned, it will start operating in 2023 with revenue projection of Bt400 million to Bt500 million in the first year.

It will repair about 10 airplanes in the first year of operation. Revenue is expected to grow about 2 per cent per year and total revenue for 50 years is projected at Bt200 billion.

Sumeth Damrongchaitham, president of Thai Airways, was optimistic about the investment plan. He said the selection committee was awaiting a proposal from Airbus, which is expected to submit its plan by next month.

“We learn that Airbus will make a proposal due to the high demand for MOR services, but only small details of the investment contract need to be resolved,” he added.

Their total registered capital was Bt17.462 billion, up 38.05 per cent year on year.

The top three business sectors were: real estate companies totalling 829 companies, with total capital of Bt2.364 billion, followed by building construction companies (398) with Bt661 million, and restaurants (183) with Bt438 million.

Foreign investment via their joint ventures with Thai partners (foreign shareholding at 49 per cent) in the EEC stood at Bt752.780 billion.

Japanese investors pledged Bt375.907 billion, followed by China Bt67.872 billion, Singapore Bt42.358 billion, US Bt27.908 billion and those from the Cayman Islands at Bt23.169 billion.

Vuttikrai said that investors from Cayman Islands were interested in the production of electricity controls and distribution equipment, holdings, and communications devices.

The EEC covers Rayong, Chon Buri and Chachoengsao provinces.

Thailand’s Department of Industrial Works (DIW) signed a memorandum of understanding with the New Energy Development Organisation and Industrial Technology Japan (NEDO) for cooperation in waste and used electronic equipment management.

The move marks the revival of cooperation between the two agencies after an earlier attempt in 2015.

Improper treatment of WEEE has become an important issue as there are concerns that it may harm workers’ health and cause water and soil contamination.

Thongchai Chavalitphichet, director-general of the Department of Industrial Works, said that with the signing of this cooperation NEDO has requested funding from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and encouraged the private sector of Japan seeks to invest Bt130 million per month in the construct a 100-tonne waste disposal facility. ABIZ Corporation and Hidayakago Enterprise have been selected to operate the project as a pilot project or a prototype of recycling of used electrical products business in Thailand.

Currently, Thailand has about 148 electronic recycling plants, which is not enough for the amount of electronic waste generated in Thailand. Data from the Pollution Control Department in 2018 found that the remains of used electronic products from the community amounted to 414 billion tonnes and were expected to increase continuously.

“If we handle electronic waste incorrectly, regardless of whether we bring it to waste dumping area or hire people to sort or burn them, it will cause broad pollution. Therefore, there should be a selection of high-value electronic waste by using technology for recycling,” he said.

Investment in the waste management business was expected to increase in the future, especially to deal with electronic waste problems likely to arise from future industrial activities in the Eastern Economic Corridor.