Bangkok  - Thailand-based companies are expected to propose about 100 carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction projects for certification under the Kyoto Protocol's clean development mechanism this year, media reports said on Tuesday.

The Thai Greenhouse Gas Organization has already certified 30 local schemes aimed at reducing CO2 by about 2 million tons and has another 28 projects under consideration, The Nation newspaper reported.

"By the end of the year, we expect to certify a total of 100 schemes," said Sirithan Pairote-boriboon, who heads the organization. "Certified projects need further approval by the UN body on climate change before they can start trading CO2 credits," he added.

The Thai Greenhouse Gas Organization is the state-run body that vets CO2 reduction projects in Thailand before forwarding them for final approval by the UN Convention Framework on Climate Change under the Kyoto Protocol.

Although the Kyoto Protocol is due to end soon, its Clean Developemnt Mechanism (CDM) in which CO2 credits are traded, will remain in play.

"Worldwide, a total of 1,338 projects are now registered under the CDM programme for CO2 trading, with India proposing the most projects," said Sirithan. (dpa)