Myanmar's gas reserves can be tapped for NE: Meghalaya governor

Gas pipeline of less than 3,800 km was economical and gas pipeline distance between Myanmar and NE was about 1,573 km

India should find ways to utilise Myanmar's enormous gas reserves to feed the power-deficit states in the North East following the path of China's Yunnan province, Meghalaya Governor R S Mooshahary said today.

Stating that Myanmar could be among the ten largest nations having huge gas reserves, Mooshahary said, India and North East in particular could utilise the gas for power generation.

"We do not have enough electricity. Despite our hydro potential, the energy generated is inadequate to meet our requirement," he said.

Quoting the US Energy Information Agency, he said a gas pipeline of less than 3,800 km was economical and the gas pipeline distance between Myanmar and NE was about 1,573 km.

"We can have pipeline instead of other means of transportation of gas which is going to benefit us and India would need to cough up about $2.3 billion for the project," he said.

He said: "We could visualise the same advantage something China's Yunnan province had through trans-national gas pipelines. The province is a recipient of 36 per cent of $605 billion trade between Myanmar and China."

"If it is done in the NE, transportation, trade, transit and tourism would benefit tremendously," he said adding that the benefit for the region was one of the most important aspects of the Look East Policy.

Earlier, the former ambassador to South Korea S K Tayal advocated putting in place credible networks of border controls and custom check posts while strengthening routes towards more industrially advanced countries in the East.

He also said that targeted action would be required to catalyse changes in the production structures in the region keeping in view the market demands in ASEAN member countries.

Both the speakers were addressing an international seminar on India's Look East Policy and the NE Region : Strengthening the continental routes -- here organised by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs along with the ICSSR and DoNER.