Myanmar Petroleum Exploration & Production Co., Ltd. (MPEP) was the local partner of choice of Eni Myanmar, Shell and Woodside which were all awarded licenses in the second onshore and the first offshore licensing rounds.

oil & gas

Overview

Myanmar Petroleum Exploration & Production Co., Ltd. (MPEP), a sister company of MPRL E&P, is a member of a joint venture also comprising Eni Myanmar operating onshore block RSF-5.

Following Eni Myanmar’s withdrawal from Block RSF-5, MPEP has assumed the operatorship of the block.


Assets

A-4 Asset Exploration History

Block A-4, operated by Shell, is immediately adjacent to proven onshore local oil production in the Ramree and Cheduba islands. The block is located in the Rakhine offshore region of Myanmar and is south of blocks A-1 and A-3 (both operated by Daewoo). About a quarter of the block is in waters deeper than 500 m. The block was operated by Arakan Oil development Corporation (AODC) during the early 1970s during which 3,000 line-km of 2D seismic was acquired. Subsequently, an exploration well, drilled down to nearly 8,000 ft, showed evidence of gas. No production testing was undertaken and the well was plugged and abandoned.

The block was operated by China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) from 2004-2011, whereby multiple 2D seismic surveys were undertaken. However, there was no exploration drilling activities conducted following the seismic surveys and the block was relinquished by CNOOC in 2011.

The Production Sharing Contract of Block A-4 expired in 2019.

exploration and production

Key Facts

  • Locations: Rakhine Offshore Region, Myanmar
  • Fiscal Regime: PSC (Production Sharing Contract)
  • Block Size: Approximately 7,480 sq-km
  • Participating Interest: Shell (45%-Operator), Woodside (45%), MPEP (10%)
  • Current Period: Relinquished with effect from 2019
  • Data: 4,600 km2 seismic acquired in 2016; one well drilled in 1975; Sea Bottom Geochemical Surveys; Integration Studies

A-7 Asset Exploration History

Block A-7, operated by Woodside, is adjacent and located to the south of block A-6 where MPRL E&P made a play opening gas discovery in March 2012 followed by a second gas discover in January 2016.

The Dhana Hlaing-1 exploration well in A-7 spudded on 26 June 2018, and was plugged and abandoned on 18 July 2018.

The Pyi Tagun-1 exploration well in Block A-7, spudded on 17 January 2021, was plugged and abandoned on 05 February 2021.

Block A-7 is located in the offshore southern Rakhine Basin of Myanmar. About one third of the block is in waters deeper than 1,000 m. The block was operated by Martaban City Services Inc. (MCSI) in the 1970s during which 2,633 km of 2D seismic were acquired. An exploration well was subsequently drilled down to 12,700 ft by MSCI in 1976 during which there was little evidence of the existence of a petroleum system. No production testing was undertaken and the well was plugged and abandoned.

The block was later operated by Korea Myanmar Development Company (KMDC) in 2008-2012 during which a reprocessing of the existing vintage 2D seismic data was undertaken. No additional seismic or data acquisition activities were undertaken and the block was relinquished in 2012.

The Production Sharing Contract of Block A-7 expired in September 2021.

exploration and production

Key Facts

  • Locations: Rakhine Offshore Region, Myanmar
  • Fiscal Regime: PSC (Production Sharing Contract)
  • Block Size: Approximately 8,220 sq-km
  • Participating Interest: Woodside (45%-Operator), Shell (45%), MPEP (10%)
  • Current Period: Initial Exploration Period (Relinquishment Ongoing)

RSF-5 Asset Exploration History

Block RSF-5, operated by Eni Myanmar, is located some 20 miles southeast of the Mann field where MPRL E&P has been providing production enhancement services to MOGE for 20 years.

Block RSF-5 is located in the onshore central Myanmar region, approximately 500 km north of Yangon and some 20 miles to the southeast of Mann field. The block lies mainly over agricultural land with a few forested and scrubby areas. The block is bounded by the Ayeyarwady River to the west and is readily accessible via roads from the city of Magway. A total of 14 wells have been drilled over the structure, including six during the pre-World War II period. A petroleum system is apparent in the block as suggested by well BOC-1, drilled to test the Ondwe surface structure in 1919 and which tested minor amounts of gas from the upper Miocene Obogon formation.

Shell acquired a 59-km regional seismic line across the Ondwe structure in 1990. Subsequently, RSF-5 was operated by Exspan during the period of 1997-2002. Exspan drilled Ondwe NW-1 only to find gas shows.

Eni Myanmar completed drilling operations of its first exploration well “Shwe Nan Htike-1” on 13 May 2020. The well, spudded on 30 December 2019, was temporarily plugged & abandoned after wet gas shows, pending the results of further studies before potential re-entry.

Upon withdrawal of Eni Myanmar effective 30 July 2022, MPEP will continue integrating data and studies, as well as assess the feasibility of drilling another well.

The Ondwe Structure is located in the southernmost part of a hydrocarbon proven structural trend that extends along the Lepando, Yenangyat, Chauk, Yenangyaung fields. The Ondwe structure is a NW-SE 32-km long full dip closure dissected by normal faults. Hydrocarbon bearing sands are mainly from the Miocene Obogon and Kyaukkok formations, by contrast with the production from Mann field, derived from both Miocene (Kyaukkok and Pyawbwe) and Oligocene (Okhmintaung and Padaung) formations.

exploration and production

Key Facts

  • Locations: Onshore Central Myanmar
  • Fiscal Regime: PSC (Production Sharing Contract)
  • Block Size: Approximately 1,290 sq-km
  • Participating Interest: MPEP (100%)
  • Current Period: Exploration Period

PSC-K Asset Exploration History

Block PSC-K, operated by Eni Myanmar, is located between the capital city of Nay Pyi Taw to the south and Mandalay to the north, in gas-thirsty fast developing areas of the country.

The block is located some 500 km north of Yangon to the east of PSC-E (operated by Noble Oil) and PSC-G (operated by PTTEP), north of PSC-H (Pacific Hunt). The block lies mostly in hilly terrain, forests and agricultural land. A gravity survey of 2,355 km was acquired by MOGE during 1971-1978. In addition, 26 km of 2D seismic was acquired by MOGE in 1981. MOGE carried out a regional surface geological and geochemical survey in 1998.

The undrilled block was covered by a high-density gradiometry survey in 2016 – the first of this kind onshore Myanmar – and an extensive soil geochemical survey in 2020. MPEP holds all the data.

The Production Sharing Contract of Block PSC-K expired in January 2021.

exploration and production

Key Facts

  • Locations: Onshore Central Myanmar
  • Fiscal Regime: PSC (Production Sharing Contract)
  • Block Size: Approximately 6,560 sq-km
  • Participating Interest: Eni Myanmar (90%.Operator), MPEP(10%)
  • Current Period: Relinquished with effect from January 2021