NAYPYITAW, 5 October, 2025 — Myanmar's Ministry of Energy is planning to upgrade its gas pipeline infrastructure to handle the increased natural gas output from the Shwe offshore project, which is expected to ramp up in 2027.

Union Minister for Energy U Ko Ko Lwin made the announcement during a visit to the Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise's pipe-laying base in Titut, Bago Region, on October 4. The upgrade will specifically target the 14-inch Magway-Shwedaung pipeline, which will be expanded to a 20-inch pipeline to deliver gas to factories and industrial zones in the Yangon area.

The minister also directed officials to develop plans for upgrading and installing new pipelines to accommodate increased offshore production from 2027 to 2028. He openly acknowledged significant gas losses due to aging pipelines and a lack of effective metering systems.

According to the ministry, 85% of domestic natural gas is used for power generation. However, the minister noted that inefficiencies in power plant equipment also contribute to substantial energy loss. He stated that if these losses were eliminated, Myanmar could boost its electricity output by over 30%.

In addition to the Magway-Shwedaung upgrade, the ministry will also improve the 20-inch Kanpauk-Myainggalay-Yangon pipeline, which currently transports gas from the Zawtika offshore project. The ministry's statement also mentioned that work has begun to replace and upgrade pipelines in the Yangon Region and that a new metering system will be implemented to distribute gas to individual factories from control and distribution stations.

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