Foreign companies work in dozens of gas blocks in Myanmar

Foreign companies are working in 42 gas exploration blocks in Myanmar's oil and gas fields under respective contracts, the Biweekly Eleven News reported Thursday.

The 42 blocks include 12 in the inland and 30 in the offshore areas. The 30 offshore blocks further include 10 deep-sea blocks.

There are 31 inland and 5 offshore oil and gas fields in Myanmar.

Starting 1998, Myanmar has been able to export gas to Thailand and in the next few years, the export will be expanded to China, the biweekly said.

Oil and gas stands the sector with most foreign investment.

In 2009-10, Myanmar produced nearly 7 million barrels of crude oil and 400 billion cubic-feet (11.32 billion cubic-meters) of gas, according to official statistics.

Meanwhile, to boost oil and gas output from the inland blocks, Myanmar imported four huge seep-soil drilling machines from China for use in newly-explored Thagyitaung, Kyaukhwet, Maubin and Pyay oil and gas fields, the report added.

According to the geological condition, Myanmar has 14 geological valleys in the onshore regions, among which the state- run Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise has conducted surveys in the central region, Pay and Delta regions.

It was reported that there remains many more promising regions for exploitation of oil and gas in the country.

In the latest development, oil and natural gas are also being exploited at new blocks such as MD-4 in the west of Dawei, Tanintharyi division, MD-5 in the west of Palaw and MD-6 on the west of Myeik which were found in Mottama offshore deep sea region.

Although annual foreign investment in the oil and gas sector stood only 278.6 million U.S. dollars in 2009-10, it was raised sharply to 9.81 billion dollars merely in the first five months (April-August) of 2010-11, a latest statistics show.
(Source:xinhua)