Foreign Firms Eye Energy Advisory Role

Ten foreign legal and engineering companies have expressed interest in obtaining a consultancy contract to advise Myanmar’s Ministry of Energy on oil and gas exploration and pipeline construction.

The firms showing interest include two British legal consultancies, Jones Day and Berwin Leighton Paisner, plus Germany’s engineering business Fichtner GmbH and Texas-based Schlumberger Business Consulting, the world’s biggest oilfield services company.

The bid to appoint international advisers comes as Myanmar government agencies continue to negotiate with a number of big international oil companies over the terms of contracts on 20 offshore development blocks. The contracts were provisionally awarded last March. —William

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