Reuters-Unocal sees Yadana Q4 2000

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Subject: Reuters-Unocal sees Yadana Q4 2000 output at 525 mln cfpd

Monday October 18, 2:27 am Eastern Time
Unocal sees Yadana Q4 2000 output at 525 mln cfpd
SINGAPORE, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Unocal Corp (NYSE:UCL - news) expects to raise
production at Myanmar's Yadana gas project to 525 million cubic feet a day
(cfpd) by the fourth quarter next year, the firm's chairman said on Monday.

Unocal Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Roger Beach said current
production at the field was very small, something around two million cfpd,
but there were ample availabilities to meet the demand at Thailand's
Ratchaburi power plant when it starts operation.

``About August 2000, we will have the full thing (Ratchaburi), that's the
latest EGAT (Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand) projection,'' he
told Reuters in an interview.

``So we're probably talking about 525 million cubic feet a day by the fourth
quarter of next year.''

``We have plenty of supplies sitting around, it's just a matter of opening a
valve,'' he said.

In August, Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT) source said EGAT might
delay taking gas from Yadana field until December rather than the third
quarter as earlier planned.

PTT signed a 30-year contract with the Yadana producers to start taking gas
from the offshore project in Myanmar from August 1998 to use as fuel for
EGAT's Ratchaburi plant in western Thailand.

The contract required PTT to take an initial 65 million cfpd, rising to 525
over 15 months. PTT has completed the pipeline to deliver the gas from the
Thai-Myanmar border, but the completion of the Ratchaburi plant has been
delayed repeatedly.

The Yadana field is operated by a consortium led by France's Total and
includes PTT Exploration and Production and Unocal.

Beach said no Yadana production currently is going to Myanmar, but that it
could be considered.