Piyasvasti Amranand ( th, ปิยสวัสดิ์ อัมระนันทน์;
RTGS: ''Piyasawat Ammaranan''), born 11 July 1953) was
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
's
Energy Minister An energy minister is a position in many governments responsible for energy production and regulation, developing governmental energy policy, scientific research, and natural resources conservation. In some countries, environmental responsibilities ...
between 9 October 2006 and 6 February 2008. He is former Secretary-General of the Thai National Energy Policy Office, Chairman of Kasikorn Asset Management, and Chairman of the Panel of Advisors to the CEO of
Kasikornbank
Kasikornbank ( th, ธนาคารกสิกรไทย, , Teochew: Khai-thài Ngîng-hâng, , stylised in all caps), often stylised as KBank and formerly known as the Thai Farmers Bank is a banking group in Thailand. KBank was establishe ...
. He was President of
Thai Airways International
Thai Airways International Public Company Limited, trading as THAI (, th, บริษัท การบินไทย จำกัด (มหาชน)) is the flag carrier airline of Thailand. Formed in 1961, the airline has its corporate h ...
between October 2009 and June 2012 and Chairman of
PTT Public Company Limited
PTT Public Company Limited or simply PTT ( th, บริษัท ปตท. จำกัด (มหาชน)) is a Thai state-owned SET-listed oil and gas company. Formerly known as the Petroleum Authority of Thailand, it owns extensive submar ...
between July 2014 and 2018. He is currently Chairman of PTT Global Chemical plc., board member of Kasikorn Bank, board member of Pruksa Holding plc., and Chairman of Thai Airways Rehabilitation Plan Administrator. Piyasvasti plays active roles in three non-profit organizations as a founding and core member of the Energy Reform for Sustainability Group (ERS); Chairman of the Energy for Environment Foundation, a non-profit organization undertaking renewable energy and energy efficiency projects; and as president of the Ski and Snowboard Association of Thailand.
Career
During the 1990s, Piyasvasti played a key role in deregulating and privatizing a number of energy-related state enterprises like
PTT and power generation business. During his term as energy minister he implemented wide-ranging reforms in the energy sector, for instance, the end of oil price subsidies and repayment of the oil fund's massive debt accrued by the previous government's subsidy program; implementation of aggressive policies to promote renewable energy (including biofuels), cogeneration and
distributed generation
Distributed generation, also distributed energy, on-site generation (OSG), or district/decentralized energy, is electrical generation and storage performed by a variety of small, grid-connected or distribution system-connected devices referred to ...
; adoption of Euro 4 fuel qualities and introduction of vapour recovery systems for petrol stations; adoption of a number of standards and incentive programs for energy efficiency; awards of a large number of petroleum concessions, issuing of IPP solicitation; conclusion of a number of
power purchase agreements
A power purchase agreement (PPA), or electricity power agreement, is a contract between two parties, one which generates electricity (the seller) and one which is looking to purchase electricity (the buyer). The PPA defines all of the commercial te ...
for projects in
Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
; establishment of a nuclear power program with a target for 4,000 MW of nuclear capacity in 2020-2021; and amendment of a number of energy-related laws.
The most important law passed during his term as energy minister was the Energy Industry Act to establish an independent regulatory body for electricity and natural gas. The law was responsible for saving PTT Public Co, Ltd. from being nationalized in a court case brought against the government and PTT by the Consumers Association.
Piyasvasti joined
Thai Airways
Thai Airways International Public Company Limited, trading as THAI (, th, บริษัท การบินไทย จำกัด (มหาชน)) is the flag carrier airline of Thailand. Formed in 1961, the airline has its corporate h ...
in October 2009 when the carrier was in financial trouble.
He continued to implement the turnaround plan and introduced a long term strategic plan where the financial position of the company was substantially strengthened, embarked on the largest aircraft acquisition and retrofit program ever implemented at Thai Airways, and formed
Thai Smile
THAI Smile Airways is a Thai regional airline and a wholly owned subsidiary of Thai Airways International headquartered in Bangkok.
History
On 20 May 2011, the Thai Airways board announced plans to create a new lower-cost airline, at the time ...
as a first step in competing with low cost airlines. In June 2012, the board of directors suddenly voted Piyasvasti out with no explanation in what was seen as a politically motivated coup.
In 2020, he was appointed as the airline's independent director and rehabilitation planner after the airline filed for rehabilitation under Bankruptcy Act. He became Chairman of Rehabilitation Plan Administrator after court approval for rehabilitation on 15 June 2021. administrators.
Education
Piyasvasti was born in 1953. He graduated from
Brasenose College
Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the m ...
, Oxford in 1975 with BA (first class honours) in mathematics. He later obtained an MSc in
econometrics
Econometrics is the application of Statistics, statistical methods to economic data in order to give Empirical evidence, empirical content to economic relationships.M. Hashem Pesaran (1987). "Econometrics," ''The New Palgrave: A Dictionary of ...
and mathematical economics, and a PhD in economics from the
London School of Economics
, mottoeng = To understand the causes of things
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £240.8 million (2021)
, budget = £391.1 millio ...
.
See also
*
Energy Industry Liberalization and Privatization (Thailand)
Energy in Thailand refers to the production, storage, import and export, and use of energy in the Southeast Asia, Southeast Asian nation of Thailand. Thailand's energy resources are modest and being depleted. The nation imports most of its Petrol ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amranand, Piyasvasti
1953 births
Piyasvasti Amranand
Piyasvasti Amranand ( th, ปิยสวัสดิ์ อัมระนันทน์; Royal Thai General System of Transcription, RTGS: ''Piyasawat Ammaranan''), born 11 July 1953) was Thailand's Ministry of Energy (Thailand), Energy Ministe ...
Piyasvasti Amranand
Piyasvasti Amranand ( th, ปิยสวัสดิ์ อัมระนันทน์; Royal Thai General System of Transcription, RTGS: ''Piyasawat Ammaranan''), born 11 July 1953) was Thailand's Ministry of Energy (Thailand), Energy Ministe ...
Living people
Thai Airways International
Piyasvasti Amranand
Piyasvasti Amranand ( th, ปิยสวัสดิ์ อัมระนันทน์; Royal Thai General System of Transcription, RTGS: ''Piyasawat Ammaranan''), born 11 July 1953) was Thailand's Ministry of Energy (Thailand), Energy Ministe ...