Exploration
Shell holds equity interest in 4 offshore blocks in Myanmar. This acreage offers a frontier exploration opportunity to apply the advanced deep-water technical capabilities we have built up around the world over the past three decades. After completing an Initial Environmental Evaluation (IEE), Shell and its partners completed the 3D seismic acquisition programme in 2017. See below an overview of Shell’s current exploration portfolio.
| Block | Shell | Woodside Energy | MPEP | Area Sq km | Approx. water depth m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A-4 | 45% (operator) | 45% | 10% | 7,479 | 2,200 |
| AD-2 | 55% (operator) | 45% | n/a | 8,098 | 2,300 |
| A-7 | 45% | 45% (operator) | 10% | 8,220 | 2,400 |
| AD-5 | 45% | 55% (operator) | n/a | 10,560 | 2,600 |
Note: Shell took over BG’s interest in blocks A-4, AD-2, A7 and AD-5 after the Shell/BG combination materialized on 15 February 2016
Impact Assessments
In accordance with Shell standards, international best practices and recently enacted Myanmar legislation, Shell undertook social and environmental impact assessments, named Initial Environmental Examinations (IEEs), in preparation for the activities associated with oil and gas exploration surveys in offshore Blocks A-4 and AD-02. The IEEs were informed by public consultations in the coastal areas adjacent to the Blocks.
The full reports and executive summaries of the IEEs are available at the links below.
Executive Summaries
Full Reports
Environmental Monitoring Reports
Accessible version for Figure 1
The map shows Shell’s equity interest in 4 offshore blocks in Myanmar, and all other designated offshore exploration blocks.
Retail
Max Energy and Shell end Retail Brand License Agreement
Max Energy and Shell have withdrawn their retail brand license agreement due to commercial reasons. The agreement was signed in 2017 and Shell has no branded retail presence in Myanmar to-date. This partnership had been mutually reviewed since 2018, due to economic and regulatory developments, related to the retail industry in Myanmar.
Lubricants
Shell is the number one global lubricant supplier (Kline & Company), delivering market-leading lubricants to consumers in over 100 countries. Shell Lubricants brings world-class technological insights to its products, offering our customers the best lubricant solutions for their applications – from road cars and heavy-duty trucks to manufacturing machinery, construction vehicles and more. Our lubricant products work to clean and protect the engine, help to prolong equipment life, improve performance and contribute to better fuel efficiency. In Myanmar, Shell Lubricant products are distributed by Que Holdings, our partner since April 2013.
Bitumen
Shell Bitumen is one of the world's leading suppliers of bitumen and asphalt solutions, with over 1,600 customers across 28 countries. We supply enough bitumen to resurface 450 lane kilometres of road every day; that's enough road to travel around the world four times in one year; or one lane-kilometre of road every four minutes.
On May 26, 2016, Shell Bitumen signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with National Infrastructure Holdings Corp, Ltd (NIHC) to pursue opportunities to supply its bitumen products and solutions into Myanmar. To showcase Shell's superior technical expertise and commitment to quality assurance, Shell and NIHC completed a 5 km road trial project along Pyinmana Myo Shuang Road, near Nay Pyi Taw Airport. The pavement design was overseen by Shell Bitumen technical experts and used bitumen sourced from Shell's facility in Pulau Bukom, Singapore.
Shell Trading
The global network of Shell Trading companies encompasses Shell’s trading activities in every major energy market around the world, including Myanmar. We help meet the energy needs of Myanmar by supplying oil products through our partners.
Max Energy Myanmar and Shell sign Retail Brand License Agreement
Social Investment
Investing in communities where we operate – called social investment – is an important part of being a good neighbor. We invest in projects that aim to benefit local communities over the long term. Our social investment programme in Myanmar focuses on the following topics:
Access to Energy
At Shell, we are able to use our core business skills and technical resources to play an active role in improving communities’ access to energy, particularly in countries where we work – such as Myanmar. Together with our NGO partner Pact, we have expanded electricity access to rural and coastal communities in the dry zone and Tanintharyi region by building up community governance structures, consumer finance mechanisms and providing technical support. The programme has provided access to sustainable energy for around 20,000 people and has improved the livelihoods of around 35,000 people since the start of the programme in 2015.
Watch how access to sustainable energy changes lives in Myanmar
Read about our efforts to help increase energy access
Road Safety
Shell staff and contractors drive around 1.1 billion kilometres each year to deliver products to our customers or to keep our operations running. That’s equivalent to driving about 75 times around the world each day. We help keep our drivers safe through training programmes, by limiting their journeys, and by enforcing our global road safety standards. We also work with communities and global partners to improve road safety in the countries where we operate. In Myanmar, together with the Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS), Shell launched a road safety campaign in March 2017 to educate drivers and community members along the Yangon-Nay Pyi Taw Highway, a roadway notorious for its high crash rate.
Discover how a safety message from children changes Myanmar drivers’ road behaviours.
Community Skills & Enterprise development
Shell has programmes in place to support and encourage the building of new businesses and generate local employment. In Myanmar, for example, together with our partner Montrose we are implementing a programme to improve the livelihoods of a rural population through increasing farmers’ incomes with improved production practices, specifically in the coconut copra and groundnuts value chains. To support value chain strengthening, the programme also aims to improve irrigation practices and market linkages.
Environment Protection & Water Resource Management
In support of TU Delft in The Netherlands and the Government of Myanmar’s efforts to establish an Integrated Water Resources Management Program (IWRM) to build government capacity in water management and flood control, Shell and TU Delft signed a 4-year agreement which commits both parties to the establishment of a Scholarship Trust. The PhD scholarship programme started in 2014 and supports two Myanmar students.
News and Press releases
Max Energy Myanmar and Shell sign Retail Brand License Agreement (Date: 6 July 2017)
Read the press release in English
Read the press release in Burmese
Shell and NIHC completes road trial project (Date: 27 May 2016)
Read the press release in English
Read the press release in Burmese
BG Group signs Production Sharing Contract in Myanmar (Date: 20 March 2015)
Read the press release in English
Shell signs contracts to explore in deep water offshore Myanmar (Date: 5 February 2015)
Read the press release in English
Read the press release in Burmese
Read about Shell Myanmar’s activities in the Shell 2015 Sustainability Report
