A Canadian-branded energy company is preparing to launch offshore drilling in Myanmar this September, despite mounting international sanctions against the state-owned enterprise it partners with.

CFG Energy Pte Ltd, a Singapore-registered subsidiary of Calgary-based Canadian Foresight Group, holds an 80 per cent stake in Block M-15, a vast 13,480-square-kilometre concession in the Andaman Sea off Tanintharyi Region. The contract, signed in 2015 with the Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE), lay dormant for years but has been revived since the military seized power in 2021. Production is expected to begin by late 2027.

MOGE is the junta’s largest source of foreign currency, generating more than $1 billion annually from gas exports, according to activist group Justice For Myanmar. Human Rights Watch has documented how these revenues fund weapons and aviation fuel, enabling airstrikes on civilian areas.

While the European Union, United States and Switzerland have sanctioned MOGE, Canada has not. Nor have the United Kingdom or Australia. This leaves CFG’s multi-billion-dollar operation entirely legal under Canadian law, even as Western operators such as TotalEnergies, Chevron and Woodside withdrew from Myanmar in 2023 under pressure and reputational risk.

CFG Chairman Songning Shen has claimed the block could hold 94.6 trillion cubic feet of recoverable reserves, potentially ranking among the world’s largest offshore gas finds. The figure, however, is operator-sourced and has not been independently verified.

The project represents the junta’s most significant new energy prospect as revenues from ageing fields decline. For rights groups, it is also a stark reminder of the gap in international sanctions. “We call on Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia to follow Switzerland and swiftly impose sanctions on MOGE,” Justice For Myanmar urged in March 2025.

As of June 2026, those calls remain unanswered, leaving Canada’s energy sector poised to play a pivotal role in sustaining Myanmar’s military regime.

-2026-06-03

Total moral bankruptcy and absolute desperation for profits. Surely there have to be other opportunities that don't assist a genocidal regime.