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India looking at bringing gas from Myanmar
Tuesday, 14 January 2003, 20:30 IST |
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NEW DELHI: India is looking at the feasibility of bringing gas from a block in Myanmar in which two state-owned oil and gas majors have taken equity stake.
The offshore exploration Block A1 near Sittway in Rakhine state in the northern part of Myanmar is operated by Daewoo International, which holds a majority stake.
India's exploration major ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL), the overseas arm of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, holds 20 percent stake in the block while GAIL (India) Ltd holds 10 percent and Korea Gas (KOGAS) the remaining 10 percent stake.
"We are looking at the possibility of bringing gas from Block A1 in Myanmar through a 550-km pipeline, which is estimated to cost 
20 billion," GAIL India chairman Proshanto Banerjee said on the sidelines of the Petrotech 2003 meet here.
Estimated to have gas reserve of 13.4 trillion to 47.3 trillion cubic feet, Banerjee said of the block: "The seismic survey has been completed, and we hope to start drilling the first test well by October/November.
"During the two to three years it will take for commercial production of gas to begin, we hope to use the intervening period to develop the gas pipeline infrastructure to India."
With demand for natural gas expected to grow faster than the average four percent annual rise in oil demand, India is looking at various sources within the country and overseas to procure supplies to meet the widening gas between demand and supply.
At 60 million standard cubic meters per day, the gas supply is almost 50 percent short of the current demand in India.
Despite promising gas discoveries on both the east and west coast areas in the country, India is continuing to explore alternative venues to import gas.
Under study are offshore and onshore gas pipeline projects for import of gas from Iran.
For the offshore pipeline, which will not pass through Pakistan territory, Snamprogetti have been appointed as the consultants by India and Iran.
As the nodal agency appointed by India to study the offshore pipeline project, GAIL India is awaiting the techno-feasibility report about the deep-sea project.
"Snamprogetti is expected to complete the ocean survey programme by 2003-end and the results will be used for doing the techo-feasibility study," said Banerjee.
Envisaged in 1990, the pipeline project has failed to take off with India reluctant to take the risk of the 2,100-km pipeline project passing through Pakistan while bringing gas from Iran's Bandar Abbas port to Gujarat.
While India is still to commit itself to the plan, a Russian firm Gazprom has been commissioned by Pakistan to conduct surveys for the pipeline over the land as well as through shallow waters. The pipeline via land route is estimated to cost around $4 billion, and several fold more by the deep-sea route.
Source: IANS
20 billion," GAIL India chairman Proshanto Banerjee said on the sidelines of the Petrotech 2003 meet here.
Estimated to have gas reserve of 13.4 trillion to 47.3 trillion cubic feet, Banerjee said of the block: "The seismic survey has been completed, and we hope to start drilling the first test well by October/November.
"During the two to three years it will take for commercial production of gas to begin, we hope to use the intervening period to develop the gas pipeline infrastructure to India."
With demand for natural gas expected to grow faster than the average four percent annual rise in oil demand, India is looking at various sources within the country and overseas to procure supplies to meet the widening gas between demand and supply.
At 60 million standard cubic meters per day, the gas supply is almost 50 percent short of the current demand in India.
Despite promising gas discoveries on both the east and west coast areas in the country, India is continuing to explore alternative venues to import gas.
Under study are offshore and onshore gas pipeline projects for import of gas from Iran.
For the offshore pipeline, which will not pass through Pakistan territory, Snamprogetti have been appointed as the consultants by India and Iran.
As the nodal agency appointed by India to study the offshore pipeline project, GAIL India is awaiting the techno-feasibility report about the deep-sea project.
"Snamprogetti is expected to complete the ocean survey programme by 2003-end and the results will be used for doing the techo-feasibility study," said Banerjee.
Envisaged in 1990, the pipeline project has failed to take off with India reluctant to take the risk of the 2,100-km pipeline project passing through Pakistan while bringing gas from Iran's Bandar Abbas port to Gujarat.
While India is still to commit itself to the plan, a Russian firm Gazprom has been commissioned by Pakistan to conduct surveys for the pipeline over the land as well as through shallow waters. The pipeline via land route is estimated to cost around $4 billion, and several fold more by the deep-sea route.
Source: IANS