The Board of Investment (BOI) approved four large-scale projects, including an ethanol production project, two automobile and motorcycle tyre production projects and a scrap and waste metal extraction project.

Ms Duangjai Asawachintachit, Secretary General of the BOI, said after a board meeting chaired by Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-ocha that the board has approved four large-scale projects with a total investment value of 30.17 billion baht. The details are as follows:

1. An ethanol production project with an investment value of 7.8 billion baht will be located in Nakhon Sawan Province to produce bio-ethanol from agriculture products such as sugarcane as main feedstock. The plant will produce 99.5% fuel-grade ethanol with a capacity of 237,600,000 liter per year and a 85-megawatt biomass power generation from steam.

2. A tyre production project with an investment value of 7.48 billion baht for the production of radial tyre, rubber track and motorcycle inner tube will be located in Rayong Province. The project will use natural and synthetic rubber as raw materials, and will use annually 72,000 tons of locally produced natural rubber.

3. A radial tyre production project with an investment value of 11.02 billion baht will be located in Chonburi Province. The manufacturing plant will use annually 17,006.5 tons of locally produced natural rubber.

4. A metal extraction project with an investment value of 3.874 billion baht will be located in Chonburi Province. The project will extract metals such as copper, nickel, zinc, tin, silver, gold and palladium from discarded Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) and copper scrap, with a production capacity of 148,000 ton per year.