Bangladesh is set to raise again the issue of importing natural gas from gas-rich Myanmar during the secretary-level foreign office consultation (FOC) meeting between the two neighbouring countries, scheduled to start from Sunday, senior officials said.
They said the country might seek to import a portion of Myanmar's gas that it exports to China, apart from re-pushing for 'gas-for-fertiliser swap deal' to run its own gas-based fertiliser plants and export the fertiliser to Myanmar, where its production is low but the demand is high.
Bangladesh is set to discuss with Myanmar a new move that was initiated during a visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to China in June to import natural gas from Myanmar engaging Beijing.
Under the plan, Bangladesh is interested to import a portion of natural gas now China is importing from Myanmar for consumption by new industries planned to be built in a new special economic and investment zone to be dedicated for Chinese investors, they said.
The planned special economic zone would be established in southeastern Bangladeshi city Chittagong, close to Myanmar.
Bangladesh would provide necessary land to establish the zone, they said.
During the FOC meeting next week, Bangladesh might also seek cooperation from Myanmar for oil and gas exploration in the Bay of Bengal.
It might propose to establish an extended cooperation between two state-owned companies of the neighbouring countries - the Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company (Bapex) and the Myanmar National Oil Company.
During the FOC, both the countries are also set to discuss a number of issues like Rohingya refugees, security, connectivity, boosting trust between the two countries, stronger border management, human trafficking, halting drug smuggling especially Yaba pills, trade and investment, and introduction of coastal shipping between the two countries.
Officials said, China started importing natural gas from Myanmar last year through a 800-kilometre pipeline that starts at Kyaukpyu on Myanmar's western coast and enters southwestern China at Ruili in Yunnan province.
The pipeline is designed to carry 12 billion cubic metres (Bcm) of natural gas annually into China.
Bangladesh was initially in talks to import Myanmar gas in 2005 when a tri-nation gas pipeline project was planned to carry the gas to India over Bangladesh territory.
Negotiations on tri-nation pipeline project were stalled since 2005 when the then energy ministers of the three countries -- Bangladesh, India and Myanmar -- signed a memorandum of understanding.
The 290-km pipeline was designed to run from Rakhine to the Indian states of Mizoram and Tripura before crossing to Chittagong and back to Kolkata in India.
In December 2011, Bangladesh directly proposed Myanmar to import gas during a meeting between Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina and Myanmar President U Thein Sein.
The Myanmar President then assured Bangladesh of giving preference to gas export in future subject to discovery of new gas fields in its territory and availability of the reserve.
Bangladesh later in 2012 went ahead with the new approach 'gas-for-fertiliser swap deal' but failed.
Bangladesh's natural gas production is hovering around 2,310 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) against the demand for around 3,000 mmcfd.
The country's natural gas crisis is looming as the reserve in domestic fields is depleting fast.
BD set to talk gas import from Myanmar at FOC meet Sunday
M Azizur Rahman | Published: August 30, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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