Japan agrees to rehabilitate Baluchaung No 2 hydropower plant
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Loikaw - The Ministry of Electric Power plans to upgrade the No 2 Baluchaung hydropower plant with Japanese aid, according to Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
JICA agreed to provide US$67 million for the aged machinery of Baluchaung hydropower plant, which was built in 1954 by the Japanese government as war reparations.
The Baluchaung hydropower plant was extensively upgraded with an ODA loan from Japan in 1980.
“JICA is mostly helping in the electricity generation sector, and they promised to lend a hand to regenerate Baluchaung No 2 hydropower plant. The upgrade process is expected to be complete in 2016,” said Senda Kanako, a representative from JICA.
Japan is providing technological aid to Myanmar’s electricity generation sector and is also assisting with the design of a national electricity master plan.
Only 26 per cent of households in Myanmar have access to electricity, which is the smallest proportion among Asean countries, according to officials from JICA quoting data released by the Ministry of Electric Power.
