Fear of China to keep Myanmar’s LNG projects alive

Investors pulling out would create a space for Beijing to fill

The potential for China to extend its influence in Southeast Asia means Myanmar’s planned LNG projects are unlikely to become casualties of the country’s military coup. Myanmar's apparent transition to partial democracy under Aung San Suu Kyi opened the door to international investment as sanctions were lifted. However, the Ahlone and Thilawa LNG-to-power projects—in which Japanese companies have invested—could face delays as a result of reversion to military rule, consultancy Wood Mackenzie argues. Ahlone is a 388MW joint venture between Italian-Thai Development (51pc) and Japan’s Toyo Engineering (49pc), while the Thilawa project includes a 1,250MW LNG-supplied power plant and is being dev