Thailand's PT Exploration & Production (PTTEP) is expected to start production from Block M-3 off Burma by 2018 at the earliest, according to local reports.
The Myanmar Times cited an unnamed official from Burma's Ministry of Energy as giving the timeline for the development of the block which PTTEP has been exploring since 2011.

“PTTEP is presently conducting detailed exploration,” the official was quoted as saying, adding the engineering, procurement, commissioning, installation and construction phase would take four to five years to complete.

“Commercial production at the M-3 field will begin at 2018 at the earliest.”

The government has previously indicated first output from M-3 was could have come as early as 2016 or 2017 at rates of between 100 million cubic feet per day of gas and 150 MMcfd.

The block contains one publicised discovery well called Aung Sinkha-2, which was drilled in 2011 and flowed at 25 MMcfd and 150 barrels per day of condensate.

PTTEP began appraisal drilling on the block earlier this year and by the end of the second quarter it had completed three wells at the field.

The development concept for the M-3 project is expected to be similar to the PTTEP Zawtika project in Burma, which is also currently being developed by PTTEP, and will likely comprise a shallow-water fixed processing platform connected via a subsea pipeline to shore.

PTTEP operates Block M-3 and is awaiting approval to farm-out a 20% stake in the block to Japan's Mitsui Oil Exploration.