Letter from Southeast Asia: Pttep unlikely to quit Myanmar
The fallout from Myanmar’s coup may not be enough to discourage the Thai state-owned firm
When TotalEnergies and Chevron announced their exits from Myanmar’s Yadana concession in January, they left Thai state-owned Pttep as the project’s only remaining international partner, and essentially having to stay in order to safeguard Thailand’s energy security. The seeds of the current situation were sown in December 2018, when Thai authorities awarded the country’s Erawan concession—which produces the bulk of Thailand’s domestic gas output—to a group comprising Pttep and UAE state-owned investment vehicle Mubadala Petroleum once the existing contract expired in 2022. Erawan’s current operator, Chevron, has slashed development drilling despite Thailand’s offshore geology requiring conti
Also in this section
24 April 2026
The European Commission’s response to the Middle East crisis is to double down on its transition strategy, with plans for a new target on electrification
24 April 2026
A major new discovery by Eni and BP that can likely be fast-tracked to production is welcome news for Egypt as it scrambles to plug a widening supply gap and deal with rising import risks
24 April 2026
Countries in the region are turning to the cleaner-burning fuel for power generation, driving demand for imports
24 April 2026
The US has used booming shale production to massively expand its LNG infrastructure, but Canadian developments have not fare so well while in South America consumption outstrips production






