Hong Kong-based power solutions provider VPower said it has kicked off its latest gas-fired power plant near the special economic zone of Kyaukphyu.
VPower Group entered into an agreement with the state-owned Myanmar Electric Power Enterprise (MEPE) in January to build and operate a fleet of gas-fired power plants in Rakhine state.
The interim plant station features 32 gas generator sets made by MTU Onsite Energy and the Build-Own-Operate (BOO) project took under four months to complete, the company said.
“Bringing immediate power supply to developing regions fast is what VPower does best,” said VPower CEO Rorce Au-Yeung, “and our long term strategic partnership with MTU is key to delivering the kind of total power solutions that Myanmar rapid growth can ride on.”
VPower claimed it is the first company to supply, build and operate a gas-fired power plant that connects directly to the country’s 230kV grid. This is also VPower’s first project to install a complete 33kV/230kV transformer and switchgear module in Myanmar. Typical temporary power plants are connected to the 33kV transmission lines instead.
Heinz Bruckmann, director of MTU Asia Pte Ltd, said, “This is … an important step forward to bring advanced powering technology into Myanmar.”
The demand for electricity by 2030 is expected to increase five to eight times the level in 2012, according to the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-backed National Electricity Master Plan study.
The government sees the private sector as the main solution to the power supply problem and has signed some 50 deals with “independent power producers” (IPPs) to develop hydropower and thermal power plants.
It is also planning to build more gas-fired power stations, however, it is not clear how the country will supply the additional gas.
