The Finance Ministry is fast-tracking public-private partnership (PPP) projects, with total PPP investment expected to exceed 130 billion baht over the next three years.According to Tibordee Wattanakul, director-general of the State Enterprise Policy Office (Sepo), 20 PPP projects have been approved out of 140 projects submitted to the PPP Committee for consideration.
The approved projects represent a combined investment value of around 300 billion baht. Investment in these projects will be rolled out gradually, he said, with around 20 billion baht expected to be invested this year, 40 billion next year and 73 billion in 2028.
Most of the investment is in transport infrastructure, including mass transit rail systems and expressways.
Mr Tibordee said accelerating PPP investment is a priority for Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas, who wants to speed up investment by using private-sector funding to supplement direct public investment, as the government's fiscal capacity has become increasingly constrained.
Mr Tibordee said Mr Ekniti instructed Sepo to act as the government's "chief financial officer" by monitoring PPP projects across ministries to track their progress and identify any issues requiring assistance.
