A gas pipeline passes through Yan Aung village in Pyawbwe township, Mandalay Division.

A PIPELINE meant to carry natural gas from Magwe to a steel mill in Shan State is now 30 percent complete, said an official from Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise under the Ministry of Energy.

“We started the project three months ago and we have now finished about 80 miles of pipeline between Magwe and Pyawbwe township (in Mandalay Division),” the official said.

He said the total distance between Magwe and the steel mill, which is currently under construction in Pinpat in Taunggyi township, would be about 250 miles.
“We have been working on the project in two groups of about 80 people each. One group started in Magwe and the other in Pyawbwe and each has been able to complete about one and a half miles a day,” said the official from the project site in Pyawbwe.

“The two segments will be connected soon but it’s difficult to say exactly when,” he said, adding that the schedule depends on the timely delivery of pipes, which are imported from China in 40-foot lengths and transported to the project site by train.

“So far our work has consisted of laying the pipeline across paddy fields. We’ve been burying it so it won’t affect cultivation,” the official said. “When we get to the mountains the work will be harder so I don’t think we will finish until next year.”