The new power plant capable of producing 145 Megawatts (MW) of power opened in Belin Kyaukse Township in Mandalay

A power plant capable of producing 145 Megawatts of power opened in Belin, Kyuakse Township in Mandalay on May 17.

The power plant will use 30 million cubic feet per day of domestically produced natural gas from the Shwe offshore gas field. The plant opens a year after Power Kyaukse Company won the tender for the project under a build, operate and transfer arrangement in May 2018, said U Win Khaing, Union Minister of Electricity and Energy (MOEE).

Around 90 percent of the electricity produced by the plant will be distributed to the Mandalay region through the Mandalay industrial zone substation and Aung Pin Lae power substation. The region is the second biggest consumer of electricity in Myanmar.

Mandalay is currently producing a total of 1396MW of electricity through hydro and other gas-powered projects. This is enough to supply power to the region and the surplus is being distributed to other regions and states, U Win Khaing said. 

 Around 60 percent of Mandalay region - 30 cities, 3,632 villages and more than 780,000 households – currently have access to electricity. This will increase to 65pc in 2020, according to the MOEE.

“Power consumption in the region has increased in tandem with higher living standards. Around 1000 more villages at the fringes still require access to electricity. We are trying to provide electricity to them as well,” said regional chief minister U Zaw Myint Maung.

At the opening ceremony of the plant, State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said access to electricity is one of the basic requirements for the nation’s development. Currently, less than half the country enjoys that access. 

“We expect to be able to supply 50pc of the requirements by the end of this year. We have been trying from 30pc in 2016 to 50pc by the end of this year. We expect Myanmar to be fully electrified by 2025,” she said.

U Win Khaing said he expects full electrificationin 2030 and despite an increase of 350MW in power production this year, the shortage was 400MW. Thus, the country needs to produce 1500 MW more power in the  coming year.

(The Myanmar Times: https://www.mmtimes.com/news/new-145-mw-power-plant-opens-kyaukse.html )

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