Dhaka Wants New Delhi to Facilitate Gas Imports from Myanmar

Bangladesh has sought India’s help in importing natural gas from Myanmar, the paper Daily Sun reported October 5.

Country’s state minister for power and energy Nasrul Hamid will meet Indian oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan in New Delhi on October 5 to discuss the issue. “Bangladesh will propose four-nation consortiums to import gas from Myanmar at the meeting on Wednesday,” senior government official Mir Mohammad Aslam Uddin told Daily Sun.

A Bangladeshi delegation will hold a series of meetings on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, setting up an LNG re-gasification as a joint-venture between Petrobangla and Petronet LNG; and LNG imports from a private-sector Indian firm, Adani, the paper reported.

Myanmar’s gas exports to Thailand and China, its two main customers, have dropped in recent months and Dhaka feels Bangladesh could be a replacement as domestic demand is rising steadily. The government is working to meet the deficit by importing LNG and has begun work on building import infrastructure. In July, Excelerate Energy, Petrobangla, and the Government of Bangladesh signed the final agreement for the construction and operation of Bangladesh's first LNG import terminal – Moheshkhali Floating LNG.

The government is also encouraging foreign firms to develop the country's natural gas resources. Last week, Petrobangla invited expressions of interest from international bidders to explore oil and gas resources from Bangladesh Deep Sea Blocks DS-10 and DS-11 and Shallow Sea Block SS-10 under the Speedy Supply of Power and Energy (Special Provision) Act, 2015.

Shardul Sharma