Thai Oil Pcl (TOP.BK), the country's top oil refiner, said on Friday it was interested in acquiring Esso (Thailand) Pcl (ESSO.BK), a unit of Exxon Mobil (XOM.N), as part of its expansion drive. "I admit that we are studying the possibility of buying Esso," Chief Executive Surong Bulakul told Reuters. "There's no specific timeframe when the study will be done because we have to look at several details." This is the first time Thai Oil, part of Thailand's top energy firm, PTT Pcl (PTT.BK), has confirmed market rumours about a possible acquisition. Surong said the study would also involve the impact on shareholders, including the Finance Ministry, which owns 7.33 percent of Esso. Exxon owns 65.43 percent of the Thai unit.
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