EEC secretary believes government establishment will not affect investment

Business

Bangkok, June 2 – The EEC secretary-general confirms that the establishment of the government will not affect the EEC. move forward according to plan Investors continue to invest Accept the high-speed train project connecting 3 airports later than planned from COVID and change the contract, have to wait for the new cabinet to consider adjusting the budget.

Mr. Chula Sukmanop, Secretary-General of the Eastern Economic Corridor Policy Committee (EEC) or EEC (EEC), revealed the progress of the development of the EEC area that is now Implementation has been accelerated in 4 projects as follows:

1. U-Tapao Airport Construction Project which is a joint venture between the state and private sectors which the private sector operates the construction of the passenger terminal and the state proceeds with the construction of airport runways There will be an invitation announcement around July 2023, which the process is somewhat delayed. but will be completed as planned in 2027

2. Laem Chabang Port Construction Project Phase 3 to expand the port to accommodate more containers. from which it is scheduled to open for service in 2026, but there are obstacles in the construction about sea reclamation causing it to be delayed by about 1 year from the plan

3. Map Ta Phut Industrial Port Construction Project Support for LNG transport ships which will be used in the production of electric power The sea has now been reclamed. The construction is going according to plan. which is scheduled to open in 2027

4. The high-speed train project connecting 3 airports (Don Mueang-Suvarnabhumi-U-Tapao) has been delayed due to the COVID situation. and modification of contracts of the private sector to connect the routes of each airport. which is currently still under negotiation Which must have a discussion about adjusting the budget limit and must be taken into consideration in the Cabinet which must wait for the new government Causing the construction plan to be completed and ready to open for service within the year 2027-2028, it has now been delayed for about 1 year.

for the problems that arise It was found that the high-speed train system There will be an airport connection. Don Mueang - Bang Sue, Bang Sue - Phaya Thai - Suvarnabhumi, which found that some parts of the road boundaries involved in the high-speed rail project as well In the past, there have been efforts to work in order not to be duplicated. While the delivery area during Bang Sue - Phaya Thai, which still has problems with clearing oil pipelines in order to proceed with the construction The airport link route (Phayathai - Suvarnabhumi) to U-Tapao Currently, there is no problem. However, the high-speed train project connecting 3 airports mostly uses the existing railway line. But in the curve section, additional areas have been expropriated to adjust the route to accommodate the speed of the train. Including the construction of additional stations

However, looking at the establishment of the government now It does not directly affect investment in the EEC as it is a large investment. Projects continue to operate as normal. In general, when a new government is replaced, policies that drive the country's economy will be moved forward. And in this election, almost every party has a policy to support the EEC. Support future industries such as health, medical, digital technology, etc.

The secretary-general of the EEC also discussed the progress of the drone development project to be used in the EEC area to transport small parcels. Currently, the project has begun trials in the sandbox area at the Eastern Economic Corridor of Innovation or EECi, Wang Chan Valley, Rayong Province since last year. Both government agencies and private sectors participated, with Aeronautical Radio of Thailand Co., Ltd. responsible for air traffic management. between drones and planes which will have different flying ceiling levels In order to achieve safety, the initial results were satisfactory, however, the needs of agencies and companies in the ECC area still need to be further explored. in order to determine the appropriate format Considered as creating a new alternative to transportation. But ground transportation is still necessary as before.-Thai News Agency

Source: Thai News Agency