Thai firm eyes 60MW Dawei power project

Thai-based Admin Power & Utility Co Ltd has submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Electric Power to build a 60-megawatt power plant in Dawei district that runs on natural gas from Zawtika gas project, officials from the company said yesterday.

As part of a 500MW Vnatural gas power plant project, the 60MW power plant will be built within eight months to supply electricity to the Dawei area after receiving permission from the ministry, according to the officials. Officials and an engineer team from the company visited Dawei yesterday morning to study the area where the power plant will be built and meet with the chief minister of Tanintharyi Region.

“Admin Power & Utility Co Ltd has signed a MOU with the Ministry of Electric Power to conduct preliminary survey to build the natural gas power plant project in Kanpauk area. We are now in the last stage of the preliminary survey. [The project] can generate 500MW of power. It will take a long to build a power line and power plant [for the 500MW power plant project],” said an official from Admin Power & Utility Co Ltd.

“As we will start receiving natural gas around March 2014, we will try to build this 60MW power plant quickly in order not to waste the gas. At the same time, we will build the 230 KVA power line from Kanpauk to Dawei. It will take eight months to construct the 60MW power plant and the 230 KVA power line. We’ve already bought the 60MW machine,” said the official.

“This power plant can supply electricity for the Dawei special economic zone. The electricity generated from the plant will be transferred to the Ministry of Electric Power…The Ministry will provide the electricity to the areas that are in need. After the Kanpauk-Dawei power line has been completed, we are ready to provide electricity to nearby areas that are located near the power line,” he said.

The firm will follow the rates set by the Ministry to charge per unit and it is only responsible for the production sector and not the distribution and transportation sectors.

“We will have to urge the Ministry of Electric Power to give the approval quickly. Since the Rakhine State is getting electricity from the Shwe gas project with government rate, the residents here also want electricity. But, the Ministry of Electric Power needs to submit [the proposal] to MIC [Myanmar Investment Commission] quickly. Even though the company said it will take eight months to complete [the construction], they are in the position to finish it within four months if the paperwork has been finished faster,” said Win Swe, Minister of Electric Power of the Tanintharyi Regional Government.