Myanmar Considers Importing LNG to Meet Domestic Gas Demand

Myanmar is looking at importing gas to meet rising domestic demand, reported Myanmar Times on Tuesday.

LNG is one option, according to Daw Wah Wah Thaung, an executive engineer at state-owned Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE).

The Southeast Asian nation is rich in hydrocarbons but lack of technology and investment in the energy sector has led to oil and gas resources being grossly under-exploited. On the other hand, demand for gas in local economy has been growing steadily in last few years, creating a supply-demand gap, which the government is finding hard to fill. 

LNG imports could provide a possible short-term solution to Myanmar’s energy shortage problems, the MOGE official said.

Companies from China, Korea, Japan, Norway, Singapore and Thailand have already proposed investment into LNG development projects in Myanmar, and feasibility studies have been completed, the official said.

“China National Petroleum Corporation has proposed developing a terminal in Kyaukphyu to receive imported LNG and to transmit it through the pipeline,” another official told Myanmar Times.

Currently state-owned and privately run gas-fired plants are operating with limited natural gas, as the Ministry of Energy is only able to supply around one-third of the 500 mmcfd of gas needed, the newspaper added.

The Japan Research Institute, together with the Japan Gasoline Corporation and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, conducted a feasibility study last year to develop a Floating Storage & Regasification Unit (FSRU) offshore, around 80 kilometers from Yangon.