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ONGC, GAIL share in Myanmar blocks fall
June 30, 2008: MADRID: Oil and Natural Gas Corp and GAIL (India) Ltd's equity in two gas rich offshore blocks in Myanmar have been cut following Myanmar's national oil company exercising its 'step-in' rights in the fields, gas from where will be sold to China.
Sources: Economic Times
Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) had 20 per cent stake
and GAIL 10 per cent stake in A-1 and A-3 offshore blocks, where independently
certified reserves are put at 4.53 trillion cubic feet.
South Korean trading company Daewoo International Corp was the operator with 60
per cent stake and Korean Gas Corp (KOGAS) had the remaining 10 per cent.
However, as per the production sharing contract for the field, Myanmar Oil and
Gas Enterprise (MOGE) had a 'step-in' right to take 15 per cent stake once
discoveries are made.
"We have entered the development phase and MOGE has exercised its
'step-in' right. Subsequent to that, the stake of ONGC Videsh Ltd (the overseas
arm of ONGC) has been cut proportionately to 17 per cent and that of GAIL to
8.5 per cent," an official in the consortium said on the sidelines of the
World Petroleum Congress here.
Daewoo now holds 51 per cent and KOGAS 8.5 per cent. The official said Daewoo
last week signed a preliminary deal with Chinese state-run company PetroChina
to sell natural gas to be produced at the field by 2013. The deal defines the
terms of production, transportation and sale of
natural gas to be produced in the A-1 and A-3 gas blocks.
Under the deal, gas will be priced at USD 4.279 per million British thermal
units at the wellhead and will move in step with international oil prices every
three months.
The price offered by PetroChina is lower than USD 4.41 per mmBtu price offered
by GAIL to piping the gas to India
but the military-ruled Myanmar
decided to sell gas to China.