Myanmar exploring possibility on gas pipline to India

Singapore, Aug 23 (UNI) Myanmar is still in talks with its neighbouring countries, including India, to export natural gas via pipelines, the country's Director General of Energy Planning Department Soe Myint reaffirmed here today.

Speaking to UNI on the sidelines of the ASEAN Energy Ministers' meeting in Singapore, he stressed that Yangon's emphasis on all markets round the Myanmar gas fields, and gas export through a pipeline to China's Yunnan province was just one of the many developments taking place in the country.

He said Yangon continues to look on all potential ways of supplying natural gas from the fields in Gulf of Martaban to India, Bangladesh and Thailand as well as China. Thailand is already a major importer of gas from Myanmar the fields.

Mr Myint also disclosed that Myanmar's Energy Ministry was all set to sign production sharing contracts for three deep-sea blocks with Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Videsh Ltd (OVL).

''We are waiting for OVL to sign the contracts for the blocks,''he told UNI, adding that the Yangon government has already awarded three deep-sea blocks to China National Petroleum Corp, one each to Daewoo of South Korea and one to an Australian exploration company. The deep-sea blocks hold a high potential for gas, all of which could be exported through a regional pipeline within South Asia, China and Thailand.

Proposals to lease out the three remaining out of the 11 deep-sea blocks were being evaluated, he disclosed. However Mr Myint confirmed that Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL) has quit Block A7 in the Gulf of Martaban, leaving its partner, Silver Wave Energy Pte Ltd, to seek a new partner to develop the Shwe field in the offshore block.

UNI