Myanmar Requests Thailand to Return Excess Natural Gas

Myanmar has asked Thailand to return some excess gas so that it can resolve the country’s chronic power supply shortfall.

Local media reports say that Thein Sein, the Burmese president met with with executives from PTT to discuss business ties and cooperation.

Pailin Chuchottaworn, the CEO of PTT, Thailand’s state-owned energy company, said it had won many contracts from Burma over the past 20 years, and it “will allocate [a] gas supply to solve Myanmar's electricity problem in the short term.”

“We regard Myanmar as our second half after 20 years of expansion there. Myanmar has always honoured the contracts, even if it has a power shortage problem,” media reports quoted Chuchottaworn as saying.

PTT Exploration and Production president and chief executive Tevin Vongvanich said the gas would total 40 million cubic feet per day from the Yadana well, but it would not affect PTT’s gas supply because the company would secure more gas concessions.