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 India
still has hope in the Myanmar's energy sector; even after Yangon said it
would sell gas to China, said CMD Gas Authority of India Ltd. (GAIL) Dr U D Chobey during a press meet Wednesday here.
Dr Choubey said though Yangon is looking for the best price its own interest
it can not totally India as India's state-run oil and gas companies hold
stakes in two blocks of Myanmar.
Dr Choubey informed that India's state-owned GAIL and ONGC Videsh Ltd. hold
30 percent equity in the A1 and A3 blocks at the rate of 10 and 20 percent
shares respectively.
He said that Bangladesh has been a hurdle to the construction of pipeline
from Myanmar through northeast India but after going for the new proposal of
offshore pipeline, it (Bangladesh) is no more relevant, rather at present
the constant availability of gas from Myanmar rigs is more important.
 He said that in the Myanmar gas project, India’s competitors are China,
Thailand and South Korea. However, since the distance between Korea and
Myanmar is very large compared to China and Thailand, India’s threat from
that nation (Korea) is less.
However, China has no stake in the Myanmar’s fields but South Korea's Daewoo
International has 60 percent stakes and is the lead operator of the blocks,
and the Korean Gas Company holds the rest.
The CMD also informed that GAIL is investing rupees 18,000 crores in the
coming five years for further increasing its pipeline network in India.
He also hinted at that by the coming December GAIL is very positive of
declaring its first explored gas rig at Teliamura of West Tripura district
and based on which the first chemical hub of Tripura can be formed.
S C Hatwal, MD of Tripura Natural Gas Company Ltd (TNGCL), a division of the
Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL)was also present on the occation.
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