Egat expects deal soon on Myanmar power rates

The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand hopes it can wrap up talks with Myanmar on setting the electricity rates for the Mong Ton and Hutgyi hydropower projects by the year-end so that their capacities can be included in the 2013-33 Power Development Plan, which will be drawn up next year.

Egat governor Sutat Patmasiriwat said last week that the Myanmar government wants Egat International to conclude the prices as soon as possible for the 6-gigawatt Mon Ton project and 1.36GW Hutgyi project.

Egat is ready to send staff to the project sites to conduct a feasibility study and expects to finalise the power rates this year or early next year.

Then the rates would be submitted to Thailand’s committee in charge of importing electricity from neighbouring countries and to the Energy Ministry. After final approval by the National Energy Policy Council, the rates will be incorporated into the new power development plan.

An Energy Ministry source said the two projects have great generating potential but their development has been slow due to protests by NGOs. The Yingluck Shinawatra government has also focused more on purchasing electricity from Myanmar – a shift from Laos in the past years.

In the upcoming third revision of the Power Development Plan for 2010-30, the proportion of power purchases from neighbouring countries has been cut to a maximum of 15 per cent or 6.57GW of total power capacity from 10.98GW in the second revision.