Myanmar will build a 4600MW hydro power plant, the biggest of its kind in Southeast Asia, on Than Lwin river in southern Shan state, the Vietnam News Agency reported from Bangkok on 24 December 2002.
The Tasang hydro plant – a cooperation project between Myanmar’s Energy Ministry and Thailand’s MDX group of Companies, aims to ease Myanmar’s shortage of energy and export electricity to Thailand and other regional countries.
The plant, with a 220m high, 800m long dam, has a total investment capital US$4B, US$400M of which will be disbursed in the first phase. Its first 200MW turbine group is expected to generate electricity at the end of the 1st phase in 2007.
The 2nd phase will see the commissioning of three more turbine groups with a combined capacity of 2100MW, and the 3rd phase, another three groups with an additional 700MW. The first 200MW turbine group will also be upgraded to 400 MW in the 3rd phase.
Myanmar has three power plants under construction and expects to add 475MW to its national grid in 2003.