August 25: Thai Energy Minister Piyasvasti Amranand discussed with his Burmese counterpart Brig-Gen Lun Thi, during the 25th ASEAN Energy Ministers Meeting, for a joint venture for an investment in a marine pipeline construction to supply more natural gas from the M-9 field located in the Mottama offshore.

Thailand’s PTT Exploration and Production International Limited (PTTEPI) in August has found commercial natural gas deposit in its offshore Zawtika-5 Well in Block M-9 in Burma’s Mottama, concession indicating a reserve of 8 trillion cubic feet.

 

The newly found Zawtika-5 well will be able to produce 8 trillion cubic-feet (TCF) of gas or 226.5 billion cubic-feet. PTT Exploration and Production International Limited expected it would be able to supply natural gas from the M-9 field to Thailand in late 2011 or early 2012 to accommodate higher power demand in the country.

 

The M-9 field development project is expected to require a total investment of US$1 billion and a rate of around 300 million cubic feet per day. PTTEP is already a major investor in Myanmar. It is a partner on the Yetagun and Yetagun gas fields — operated by French major Total — which export around 1 billion cubic metres a day of gas to Thailand.

The PTTEP had found large natural gas deposit at six test wells — Zawtika-1, Gawthaka-1, Karkonna-1, Zawtika-2, Zawtika-3 and Zawtika-4 at the same block since 2005. The PTTEP has already been engaged in four other gas projects in Burma in blocks M-7, M-3, M-4 and M-11 in the same Mottama offshore area.

 

The gas export to Thailand in 2005-06 was amounted US$ 1.075 billion. The amount of exporting natural gas was not increased but of prices of gas was increased considerably. Thailand is a major importer of natural gas from Burma. SGB