Twelve big-ticket infrastructure projects worth a combined 721 billion baht, marking the highest level of joint investment since the Joint Public-Private Partnership Act was enacted in 1992, are set to seek approval from the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Committee this year.
Of the 12 total projects, five have between 1-5 billion baht of investment each and seven have investment of more than 5 billion each, according to Chanvit Nakburee, deputy director of the State Enterprise Policy Office (Sepo).
The five smaller projects, totalling 9.14 billion baht, comprise two motorways linking Ayutthaya's Bang Pa-in district with Nakhon Ratchasima and Nonthaburi's Bang Yai district with Kanchanaburi; an intermodal facility in Chiang Khong district in Chiang Rai province; the Nakhon Phanom Border Transportation Center; and the second phase of a solid waste management project in Nakhon Ratchasima.
The seven larger projects include the Orange Line (east section) connecting Thailand Cultural Centre and Min Buri, worth 110 billion baht; the Orange Line (west section) linking Thailand Cultural Center and Taling Chan, worth 85.3 billion baht; the Purple Line route between Kanchanaphisek Outer Ring Road and Tao Pun worth 131 billion baht; a project to enhance the private sector's role in Suvarnabhumi airport rail link, worth 41.8 billion baht; the high-speed rail project linking Bangkok and Rayong, worth 152 billion baht; the high-speed rail network linking Bangkok and Hua Hin, worth 111 billion baht; and the motorway between Nakhon Pathom and Cha-am, worth 80 billion baht.
Mr Chanvit said these projects will be forwarded to the cabinet after winning approval from the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak.
Bidding for members of the private sector to take part in the projects will be held later.
The 12 projects exclude the State Railway of Thailand's planned commercial development of a 15.4-billion-baht-plot at Bang Sue station. The SRT has already proposed Sepo for consideration.
The Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Committee last year approved five megaprojects worth 334 billion baht. Two of them, both monorail projects, have already secured cabinet approval.