Opportunities for the civil society’s access to energy, as well as the development and promotion of industrial sectors both help strengthening the national economy. PTT has been commissioned operator of the natural gas pipeline network development project according to the National Master Plan in terms of transmission systems and natural gas infrastructure for energy stability according to cabinet resolution and the National Energy Policy Council (NEPC). Therefore, PTT has supervised the implementation of various projects while creating value for stakeholders, namely the government sector, civil society, and labors, covering environmental, social and governance parties. The key focus is on minimizing environmental impacts from project implementation and promoting knowledge and proper understanding of relevant project development and operational guidelines during the pre-construction, mid-construction and post-construction phases. This attainment will benefit PTT's development and business growth, stakeholder management, environmental protection, and occupational health and safety goals while maintaining efficiency and sustainability. 

Management Approach

Project Management

PTT emphasizes project management with the management of environmental and social impacts which may arise from project implementation with potential for both direct and indirect effects on stakeholders. Therefore, environmental impact assessments and public hearings are completed in line with relevant laws and regulations prior to project initiation. The mentioned crucial processes provide complete and stringent  channels for knowledge and comprehension exchange, stakeholder engagement opportunities, facilitation of public opinions, suggestions or concerns regarding project implementation, supervision of preventative and corrective measures, monitoring environmental impacts and relevant occupational health and safety requirements throughout the project lifespan, pre-, mid- and post-construction.

Environmental Impact Assessment

PTT has conducted studies and prepared Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports for all projects, undertakings, or operations requiring an environmental impact assessment report according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment notification issued under Section 48 of the Enhancement and Conservation of National Environmental Quality Act (No. 2), B.E. 2561.

Continuous operations relating to *largescale projects under PTT's natural gas pipeline master plan have undergone EIA assessment, reporting and approval by the National Environment Board, Expert Committee for Environmental Impact Assessment reporting at the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP) and related licensing agencies. These respective projects consist of The Fifth Transmission Pipeline Project and the onshore natural gas pipeline project from the natural gas control station in Ratchaburi-Wang Noi 6 (RA6) to Ratchaburi. The current project has progressed to the physical structure construction phase with delivery preparations with the natural gas pipeline line phase currently ongoing. Present-day operations require project supervision and monitoring to comply with the conditions set forth in the approved EIA report, which stresses strict environmental protection measures. The compliance results under conditions specified in the EIA report, which will be reported to the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning, government agencies or related licensing agencies every six months, extends to compliance in supervision and control of relevant occupational health and safety requirements.

Public Engagement^GRI413-1

PTT has organized public consultation with the general public and stakeholders in various projects. The company follows the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning’s announcement concerning Guidelines for People's Participation in the Process of Environmental Impact Assessment Report B.E. 2562 (2019)  to promote and disseminate project related information and to develop better understanding on the project and action plan, project location selection process, expected benefits, impacts, preventative measures, corrective plans and environmental impact monitoring.  Specific emphasis encompasses providing all stakeholders the opportunity to participate in expressing their respective opinions, suggestions or concerns regarding project implementation, which extends to preventative and corrective measures, environmental impact monitoring procedures, determination of appropriate guidelines to reduce project environmental impact, and acceptance by the local community and all stakeholders. 

PTT defines the process of public engagement as follows:

• Review the fundamental information of communities within the project location in coordination with relevant government agencies to further utilize data to define stakeholder analysis, determine the model and method of implementing engagement activities, and listen to opinions appropriate to each of stakeholder engagement groups about the implementation of the project.
• Conduct site visits to plan and organize stakeholder’s feedback activity by implementing community preparation processes, which will provide public information regarding project details and potential impacts to obtain complete and sufficient information for stakeholders The emphasis is on a form of communicating that is easy for the public to understand, inclusive of pamphlets and publicity banners, etc. in order to convey complete and sufficient information for the purpose of expressing opinions. 
• For projects requiring EIA reports, at least two public hearings are organized with the first hearing to receive input on outlined project details including scope of study, assessment of alternative or location of the project, and the second hearing to receive input on report drafting, preventative measures, correct action plan and environmental impact monitoring. Furthermore, public relations announcements are disseminated prior to each hearing to inform the public of the channels, time, place and details to convey their respective opinions. Upon completion of each hearing, the discussed results will be summarized and disclosed to the public. 

Community Resettlement

PTT strictly avoids operating projects that cause permanent community resettlement by designing construction sites and routes along with construction works that have no impact on land and property use, ensuring that projects are well-accepted by the community. Meanwhile, PTT will conduct related processes including the environmental impact assessment and public engagement. In case of necessity or no suitable alternative to PTT, PTT will provide information, consultation and build understanding with the affected persons to gain their acceptance. In some cases, PTT will compensate for damage or effects caused by the demolition of buildings and spaces sustenance. If PTT’s construction causes damage or influences, PTT shall be responsible for repairing and restoring the site to its original state as closely as possible. 

Performance Monitoring

PTT has established preventive, corrective and environmental impact monitoring measures according to the EIA report, which covers the management of project stakeholders before, during and after the construction of the project (implementation phase). The essential data is gathered into an EIA compliance report, which must be submitted every six months to the relevant government or licensing authority. In addition, a report on the implementation of the measures is also prepared and submit to the Office of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), which is the licensing agency, every six months.

During the construction phase, PTT will closely control and monitor the contractors' operations on a weekly basis. It consists of a meetings to monitor the progress of the work plans, problems, obstacles, complaints, and visit the site to inspect the operations at the construction site as well as arrange for public relations officers to continually visit the area to engage and to collect suggestions or complaints that may occur in the area.

Community Relations

Stakeholder engagement is a process that PTT has carried out to get information for the understanding of public opinions, requirements and concerns about probable impacts or modification that may occur because of project development. PTT has deliberately fostered engagement with local communities in order to demonstrate its respect for their rights and to build positive relationship with them. The community's primary information, suggestions and concerns will be collected during the process of developing appropriate mitigation measures for environmental, social and health impacts in all of PTT’s activities. The outcome would then be shared with stakeholders.

Community Engagement and Development Standards

PTT initiated a relationship operational guideline that outlines the Community Development and Community Relations Guidebook (CD-CR) which will be employed in the process of planning and conducting community engagement to ensure that all departments in all business units follow the same procedure and standard when managing community relations with stakeholders during the project development period.  The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Department is responsible for implementing and collecting information obtained from stakeholder engagement activities as well as communicating between departments.

PTT utilizes stakeholder mapping to identify target groups of stakeholders to assess the importance of each community. In order to create a community database, stakeholder importance will be prioritized based on their demands and influence on PTT business operations. As a result, PTT is able to respond effectively to each stakeholder group based on their priority.

Performance Measurement

PTT has defined the Community Engagement Score (CES) as an indicator of management performance for all major capital projects. This indicator demonstrates the effectiveness of the stakeholder engagement process. Performance indicators vary depending on the significant factors of each project. A survey of stakeholders' opinions in the communities surrounding the operational area is another important indicator. The results, suggestions and expectations obtained from the survey are considered when developing operational strategies in order to create long-term benefits. Examples include performance improvement following opinion surveys, public hearing of stakeholders form all sectors in areas with natural gas pipelines. There has been engagement as CSR activities in the project areas, as well as caring and maintenance of communities and society, alongside the project performance, continuously.

For community relations, PTT has created the Community Satisfaction Index (CSI) as a performance indicator. The CSI index consists of an assessment on the development of economic and living conditions, safety and environmental operation performance, community relations and communication of the organization's activities.

Community Grievance Mechanism

PTT has set up the approaches and communication channels for gathering opinions and grievances of stakeholders, allowing PTT to systematically and efficiently respond to complaints at all stages of project operation - before, during and after project development. For large-scale capital projects, the grievances are addressed through the tripartite committee consisting of PTT, representatives of relevant stakeholders and government agencies.

Key Performances

Information acknowledgement and project acceptance^{GRI413-1, GRI413-2}

The prime goal of project management is to carry out the project within the designated timeframe while obtaining public acceptance. In the case of any issue occurring from project construction or any complaint received, a monitoring process will promptly be put into action within 24 hours to mitigate such impact to manageable levels. During the process, all relevant departments will be immediately contacted and collaborated in order to resolve the problem as soon as possible.

Information acknowledgement and project acceptance (percentage)

During the previous year, PTT has completed one large-scale natural gas transmission pipeline project, namely the Onshore Gas Transmission Pipeline Gas Pressure Controlling Station from Wang Noi 6 (RA6) to Ratchaburi Province project. The current project status includes processes relating natural gas pipeline postconstruction impact monitoring. Currently in 2021, PTT has undertaken a large-scale natural gas pipeline projects and other large projects, including the Onshore Natural Gas Pipeline Project Line No. 5, the Onshore Natural Gas Pipeline Project from Bang Pakong to the South Bangkok Power Plant and the Natural Gas Separation Plant Unit 7 (GSP 7) with details of operations as follows: 

Remark: Number of operation sites with public consultation refers to number of areas with community engagement at a certain level according to PTT’s assessment

Projects Performance

Environmental, Social and Health Impact Management  

PTT has determined indicators for environmental, social and health impact management consistent with the operation status of The Fifth Transmission Pipeline Project and RA6 – Ratchaburi Pipeline Project as detailed in the table below.

The two mentioned projects have successfully completed relevant EIA studies and report preparation. The current project status includes processes related to monitoring and reporting preventive measures implementation, corrections and environmental impact measures monitoring, and supervision and control of contracted workers in performing their respective work operations in strict and complete accordance to occupational health and safety requirements. Interested parties can review the EIA report and PTT's compliance with EIA measures report related to the aforementioned project at the website of the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP),  https://eia.onep.go.th/ 

Projects Performance^GRI413-1