Myanmar Minister of Electric Power U Khin Maung Soe has stressed the need to build more power plants in the country to meet public demand, official media reported on November 13.

U Khin Maung Soe made the emphasis at the ongoing parliament session in clarifying the planned electricity price hike.

Under a 30-year electricity strategic development plan, the country’s power supply till the fiscal year 2012-13 should have been 4,910 megawatts, he said, while blaming it got only 3,600 mw till to date, reported the New Light of Myanmar.

Given the public demand of 8,929 mw, there was a shortage of around 5,000 mw as the country failed to build seven hydropower, three thermal and two coal-fired power plants, he clarified, attributing the failure to financial difficulties.

He further clarified that Myanmar’s power consumption, which has increased by 15 percent annually, is likely to reach 3,000 mw by 2015 with summer power demand estimated to stand at 2,370 mw in 2014. He disclosed that the currently running power stations can generate 1,655 mw in maximum, emphasizing the need to build three power plants each with an installed capacity of 500 mw at a cost of 2.1 billion US dollars to meet the power demand of 3,000 mw in 2015 and 4,000 mw in 2016.

He called for local and foreign investment in the projects, saying that the government alone cannot afford to implement it.

Meanwhile, the parliament on Tuesday temporarily suspended the electricity price hike by the electric power ministry in response to an interim proposal urging to bring down the electricity price hike. more…