Myanmar puts gas bids on hold, seeks price re-negotiation

17 October 2006

Mumbai: Myanmar has put bids received for sale of gas from its A-1 and A-3 blocks in abeyance as it found prices offered by bidders India, China, South Korea and Thailand not attractive enough.

"Mynamar has informed that it will not accept the price offered for gas from its A-1 and A-3 blocks but stopped short of scrapping the bids. It now wants to negotiate the price with individual buyers," an industry source said.

India, China and Thailand had submitted price bids for transporting gas from Myanmar through separate pipelines while South Korea proposed to ship it as liquefied natural gas (LNG).

India proposed to lay a 1,400-km India-Myanmar pipeline, originating from Sittwe (Akyab) in Myanmar to Gaya in Bihar, passing through Aizawl in Mizoram and then through Dispur and Guwahati in Assam and finally Siliguri in West Bengal to join the Jagdishpur-Haldia pipeline.

China proposed a 2,380-km pipeline originating from Kyaukphyu in Myanmar and terminating at Ruili in China's Yunan province after passing through Pagun Tuywintanuag and Mandalay.

Thailand, on the other hand, proposed to lay a 1,100-km offshore pipeline.