Thongtip Ratanarat facts for kids

Khun Ying Thongtip Ratanarat, born on June 24, 1942, is a talented chemical engineer from Thailand. She has been a very important person in the world of energy. She worked as the executive director of the Petroleum Institute of Thailand (PTIT) for 20 years, from 1985 to 2005. She also serves on the board of directors for The Siam Fine Chemicals.

Early Life and Education

Khun Ying Thongtip Ratanarat studied chemical engineering. After finishing her studies, she became a research assistant. She worked at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Teaching and Honorary Degrees

When she returned to Thailand, she became a lecturer. She taught chemical engineering at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. Later, she received special honors for her work. In 2005, she earned an honorary doctorate from Chiang Mai University. In 2013, Kasetsart University also gave her an honorary PhD in chemical engineering.

Career in Energy and Science

Khun Ying Thongtip Ratanarat has had a long and impactful career. From 1985 to 2005, she was the executive director of the Petroleum Institute of Thailand. This institute helps with energy research and development.

Important Roles and Contributions

After her time at PTIT, she became an advisor to PTT Public Co., Ltd. This is a major energy company in Thailand. She also serves on the Board of Directors for The Siam Fine Chemicals.

She was a judge for the Platts Global Energy Awards in 2004, 2011, and 2013. These awards recognize excellence in the energy industry. In 2013, she led the committee that investigated the Rayong oil spill. This was an important job to understand what happened and how to prevent future spills. She is also a member of the national advisory board of the Chulabhorn Research Institute in Bangkok.

Music and Royal Service

Beyond her scientific work, Khun Ying Thongtip has a musical side. She has sung with King Bhumibol Adulyadej's Au Saw Friday Band. She has also served Queen Sirikit as a lady-in-waiting since 1973.

Promoting Biofuels and Energy Independence

Throughout her career, Khun Ying Thongtip strongly supported local energy production. She focused a lot on developing biofuels. Biofuels are fuels made from plants or animal waste. Her goal was to help Thailand rely less on oil from other countries. This would make Thailand's energy supply more stable.

Views on Energy Security

She believed that relying too much on oil from other places could be risky. In 2002, she said that being "vulnerable is the rule of the game." This meant that countries needed to find their own energy sources. She saw that Europe and Asia were looking for new energy ideas, just like the U.S.

In 2004, she emphasized that Thailand needed a clear plan. This plan would help the country get the most value from its own natural gas.

Encouraging Biofuel Use

By 2012, she was quoted saying, "We should get more serious about joint development of biofuels." She believed that oil prices would keep going up. Using biofuels would also help strengthen the Asean Economic Community. This is a group of countries in Southeast Asia. She thought they could all work together to grow, mix, sell, and use biofuels. She urged the Thai government to encourage drivers to use E20 and E85 ethanol blended fuels. These fuels contain a mix of gasoline and ethanol, which comes from plants.

Family Life

Khun Ying Thongtip Ratanarat comes from an important family. Her brother is Thongchat Hongladarom. He was the first governor of PTT when it was a state-owned company.

She married Chira Ratanarat in 1969. He is now the chief executive officer of The Siam Chemicals Public Company (SCC). They have three sons together: Tisanu Ratanarat (born 1974), Sichart Ratanarat (born 1976), and Porapong Ratanarat (born 1982).