Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL), a state-owned oil refinery in Assam, plans to expand its reach to Myanmar by setting up retail outlets in the Sagaing region.

NRL Chairman and Managing Director Bhaskar Jyoti Phukan said the company had selected a partner to work jointly in Myanmar but was waiting for a conducive situation as the country has been in turmoil since the military junta seized power in February 2021. The company aims to tap the region's high potential and unserviced area, where around 40 lakh people are living.

Phukan added that the area close to Moreah on the Indian side is the Sagaing region of Myanmar, which is under service and with the Asian highway coming up, there is great potential in the region. However, the cost of transportation from Numaligarh to Myanmar is currently high. Phukan said that the regime change had delayed their plan to enter Myanmar, but they had already exported through roads directly from Numaligarh to Moreah covering around 421 km.

A senior NRL official stated that China is investing heavily in Myanmar, bringing products to Yangon from Mandalay and setting up tankers in the country. NRL, one of the four refineries in Assam, is increasing its capacity from 3 to 9 million metric tonnes per annum with an investment of Rs 28,000 crore.

The NRL was set up at Numaligarh in the Golaghat district in accordance with the provisions made in the Assam Accord signed on August 15, 1985, as a vehicle for the speedy industrial and economic development of the region.

Former Prime Minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee dedicated the NRL to the country on July 9, 1999. NRL has been working in Bangladesh and now plans to expand to Myanmar, a move that would open up a new market and help the company grow further.