China Energy Engineering Group (EEC) won the fifth emergency power project tender in Myanmar

Exclusive: A consortium led by China Energy Engineering Group (CEEC) has won the fifth emergency power project put out to tender by the Myanmar government, The Myanmar Times can reveal.

A senior source involved in the energy sector told this newspaper that Beijing-based CEEC, a state-owned energy conglomerate also known as Energy China, had been awarded the bid to set up a 120-megawatt plant in Yangon’s Ahlone township, which would use gas supplied by the government.

Another industry insider confirmed this development.

Earlier this year, CEEC finished building a 119MW gas-fired power plant in Thaton township, southern Mon State.

Attempts to contact CEEC were unsuccessful. The company’s official website has not released information about winning the Ahlone project.

The consortium includes China ITS (Holdings) Co, CEEC’s Hunan Electric Power Design Institute and Shenzhen Shennan Power Gas Turbine Engineering Technique Co and the decision to award the tender was communicated on September 2, according to Chinese media reports.

The energy ministry issued a tender for five emergency power schemes in late June with the ambitious goal of adding 1040MW in new capacity by next summer. Three larger projects - in Rakhine’s Kyaukphyu, Yangon’s Thanlyin and Thaketa - would use imported liquefied natural gas while two smaller one would use gas from the government. 

As reported by The Myanmar Times, the other four projects were awarded to a consortium led by Hong Kong-listed VPower, which has close links to Chinese state enterprises CITIC and CRRC. VPower has not disclosed which company it is partnering with.

The energy ministry declined to comment on the emergency power projects, saying that the tender winners have been chosen and that details would be announced in due course.

These projects are tendered to save Myanmar, particularly Yangon, from repeating this year’s serious blackouts when the next hot season arrives, which would be some months before the country heads to the polls.

This emergency move will worsen Yangon’s already bad air pollution, observers warn, putting public health at risk.

Only around 40 percent of Myanmar’s population has access to electricity, with power currently originating from 20 gas-fired and 62 hydropower stations and one coal plant. 

The country is facing a growing energy crisis. Power demand is rising by 15-16pc each year. The ministry suggested that this year’s demand has increased further to 19pc.

(The Myanmar Times: https://www.mmtimes.com/news/myanmars-fifth-emergency-power-tender-goes-energy-china.html )

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