The budget of 2 billion baht will be spent to develop the Smart Park project on 1,500 rai at the industrial estate.

The Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) has provided an investment budget of 13 billion baht to expand two projects in the Map Ta Phut industrial estate in Rayong to cope with the imminent Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC).

Of the total investment, 11 billion baht goes to third-phase development of the deep-sea port at Map Ta Phut on a plot of 1,000 rai. This expansion serves the petrochemical industry, specifically as a liquefied natural gas receiving terminal and for logistics.

The remaining budget of 2 billion baht is for development of the Smart Park project in the estate on a plot of 1,500 rai. The IEAT expects to support a new generation of industries such as automated manufacturing and robotics, renewable energy and the digital sector.

Veerapong Chaiperm, IEAT's governor, said the agency is studying the feasibility of the Smart Park project, which is currently in the conceptual design process. It is preparing information for the environmental impact assessment.

"The IEAT is scheduled to start construction on the Smart Park project in 2020," he said.

The government has focused on a new investment policy to promote and support investors in 10 targeted S-curve industries to upgrade the industrial sector with higher technology.

The industries are next-generation cars; smart electronics; affluent, medical and wellness tourism; agriculture and biotechnology; food; robotics for industry; logistics and aviation; biofuels and biochemicals; digital; and medical services.

Moreover, the City Planning Department has approved a land plot adding 16,000 rai to serve the flagship EEC project.

Earlier, the government allocated 30,000 rai for the EEC, spanning three provinces in Rayong, Chon Buri and Chachoengsao.

The EEC is designed to complement the Eastern Seaboard with high-technology industries over the next 20 years.

The government expects investment in EEC provinces to help increase the country's GDP by 5% a year, a sum of 1.5 trillion baht over the next five years, from investment of 100 billion baht in the 10 targeted industries.

Plans call for increasing people's income by 450 billion baht a year and enabling the country to escape the middle-income trap.

In addition, the government is speeding up infrastructure megaprojects such as the Don Mueang-Suvarnabhumi-U-tapao high-speed rail network and the deep-sea ports in Sattahip, Map Ta Phut and Laem Chabang.