Thailand opens draft PRTR regulation for public consultation 
On September 13th, 2022, Thailand Ministry of Industry opened the latest draft “Notification of Ministry of Industry: Reporting of Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) B.E. 25XX” for pubic consultation. This draft notification proposes factories to report the volume of chemicals produced, possessed and consumed, and assess the potential volume of pollutants released or transported to the environment or outside of the factories. The purpose of the draft is to control the production, possession, and consumption of chemical substances as well as the reduction of pollutants released to the environment. This draft proposes to be enforced on January 1st, B.E. 2566 (2023) for factories with a machine capacity of 500 horsepower and above, and to be enforced on January 1st, B.E. 2570 (2027) for the factories with a machine capacity of less than 500 horsepower.
Target industry
The notification targets 19 industrial groups listed in the Annex 2 of the notification as follows:
| No. | Industry |
|---|---|
| 1 | Plant product industry group, i.e., factories No. 1, 2, 9 and 21 |
| 2 | Food industry and related businesses, i.e., factory No. 4 – 8, 10 – 20, 90 and 92 |
| 3 | Textile industry group, leather production and leather products, i.e., factory No. 22–33, 93 and 98 |
| 4 | Wood processing industry and wood products such as furniture or decorations in the building made of wood, glass, rubber, i.e., factory No. 34–37 |
| 5 | Paper and paper product manufacturing industry group, i.e., factory No. 38–41 |
| 6 | Chemical and petrochemical industry groups, i.e., factory No. 42–48 |
| 7 | Refinery industry, gas separation plants and petroleum products, i.e., factories No. 49 – 50 and 89 (only natural gas separation plants) |
| 8 | Rubber and rubber products industry groups, i.e., factory No. 51 and No. 52 |
| 9 | Plastic products industry group, i.e., factory No. 53 |
| 10 | Industry group of stone, gravel, sand or soil for use in construction, i.e., factory No. 3 |
| 11 | Non-metal product industry group or related to construction, i.e., factory No. 54–58 |
| 12 | Primary steel and metal product manufacturing industry, i.e., factory No. 59–64 and 104. |
| 13 | Machinery and mechanical manufacturing industry group, i.e., factory No. 65–70 |
| 14 | Electrical appliance manufacturing industry, electrical and electronic equipment and parts, i.e., factory No. 71–74, 81, 94 and 107 |
| 15 | Vehicle manufacturing industry, automobile equipment and parts, i.e., factory No. 75–80 and 100 |
| 16 | Garage industry group, spraying rust proof paint, washing or grouting, i.e., factory No. 95 |
| 17 | Waste Management Industry Group, adjusting the quality of the total waste, landfill, sewage and recycling, i.e., factory No. 101, 105 and 106 |
| 18 | Electric Power Generation Industry and selling steam, i.e., factory No. 88 and 102 |
| 19 | Other manufacturing industry groups are, i.e., factory No. 82, 83, 84–87, 89 (non-gas separation plants), 91, 96, 97, 99 and 103. |
Notably, the draft proposes to empower Department of Industrial Works to determine provinces to be enforced. Three industrially developed provinces, Rayong, Chonburi, and Samutprakarn, which are also the environmental hotspots in Thailand, will be the first provinces to be implemented with a possibility of future expansion.
Target pollutants and chemical substances
The list of 108 target chemical substances/compounds is attached in the Annex 1 of this notification. A variety of chemical substances and compounds, including volatile organic compounds, heavy metals, dioxins, pesticides and etc. are listed.
Requirements
Factories of 19 target industries that consume, produce, store, or possess chemical substances or release pollutants shall report the data of chemical possessed, pollutants released and pollutants transported. Factories that do not consume, produce, store, or possess chemical substances or release pollutants shall declare yearly that they have not possessed or released pollutants during the period of January 1st to December 31st. Such report shall be submitted by July 1st of the following year in accordance with the requirements of Ministry of Industry.
The calculation method and format of PRTR reporting shall be specified by the Ministry of Industry. The factories must report the data of (1) chemical substances possess, (2) pollutants released or (3) pollutants transferred according to the “Notification of Ministry of Industry: Reporting of Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) B.E. 25XX”. The PRTR report can be submitted by electronic reporting system, e-mail, or document.
Download the original text of the draft at:
- Notification of Ministry of Industry: Reporting of Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) B.E. 25XX
http://php.diw.go.th/rubfung/upload1/file1_157.pdf - Notification of Ministry of Industry: The calculation method and format of PRTR reporting B.E. 25XX
http://php.diw.go.th/rubfung/upload1/file1_158.pdf - Notification of Ministry of Industry: The determination provinces to be enforced RE: Reporting of Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) B.E. 25XX
http://php.diw.go.th/rubfung/upload1/file1_159.pdf
