Reuters-Myanmar launches new therma

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Subject: Reuters-Myanmar launches new thermal power plant 

Myanmar launches new thermal power plant
04:14 a.m. May 02, 1999 Eastern
YANGON, May 2 (Reuters) - Myanmar's Ministry of Electric Power has launched
a $28.3 million joint venture thermal power plant in an effort to ease the
country's acute power shortage.

The official Myanmar News Agency (MNA) said on Sunday the 54-megawatt
combined cycle power plant at Hlawga, 20 km (12 miles) north of the capital
Yangon, was inaugurated on Saturday by Major General Tin Htut, Minister for
Electric Power.

Japan's Marubeni Corp built the plant.

MNA quoted Tin Htut as saying Myanmar's current daily power consumption
reached 750 megawatts against 330 megawatts in 1988.

He said besides the new plant, the country's existing eight natural gas
power stations and six hydro-electric plants produced a combined 680
megawatts a day.

Myanmar's power shortage, aggravated by reduced water levels in
hydro-electric dams, has forced Yangon to ration power, and the capital's
residents have received an average of 10 hours of electricity daily over the
past year.

Chinese firms are now building what will be Myanmar's biggest hydro-power
plant when it is completed in 2001. Located at Pyinamana near Mandalay, it
will cost an estimated $250 million.