Public sector oil companies ONGC Videsh and GAIL India are members of a Myanmar government consortium that will export gas from the Myanmar government's offshore fields to China National United Oil Corporation.

The consortium, Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise under Myanmar's ministry of energy, also includes Korea's Daewoo International Cooperation and Korea Gas Corporation.

Myanmar's government and the four overseas companies were part of a consortium that finalised the deal to sell natural gas to China.

The gas to be exported through pipelines is from Myanmar's Shwe natural gas project at Block A-1 and A-3 at Rakhine coastal region.

ONGC Videsh holds 20 per cent in the consortium while the South Korean multinational Daewoo has a 60 per cent share. Gas Authority of India Ltd and the Korea Gas Corp each hold 10 per cent.

This will be the first sales of gas from Myanmar's northwestern offshore fields, after the signing of this agreement.

Yadana, Yetagun and Shwe fields are proven fields, but Myanmar has abundant natural resources. The Daewoo Company of South Korea has so far discovered significant gas reserves in the Rakhine offshore blocks of A-1 and A-3.

''Petronas Carigali of Malaysia is also currently carrying out detailed studies near the Yetagun gas field and is planning to drill more wells to develop natural gas reserves in the Hintha structure of Block M-18.''

The government has demarcated 46 onshore blocks, of which nine are being developed by foreign companies and the oil and gas sector dominates Myanmar's foreign investment.

The details of the deal in terms of value, execution of construction of pipeline and likely date of distribution of gas flow are not yet to be known.