Thai-based Admin Power & Utility Co Ltd has submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Electric Power to build a 60 megawatt power plant in Dawei district that runs on natural gas from Zawtika gas project, officials from the company said yesterday.

As part of the 500 megawatt natural gas power plant project, the 60 megawatt power plant will be built within eight months to supply electricity to Dawei area after receiving permission from the ministry, according to the officials.

Officials and an engineer team from the company visited Dawei yesterday morning to study the area where the power plant will be built and meet with the chief minister of Tanintharyi Region.

“Admin Power & Utility Co Ltd has signed a MOU with the Ministry of Electric Power to conduct preliminary survey to build the natural gas power plant project in Kanpauk area. We are now in the last stage of the preliminary survey. [The project] can generate 500 megawatt power. It will take a long to build a power line and power plant [for the 500 megawatt power plant project],” said an official from Admin Power & Utility Co Ltd.

“As we will start receiving natural gas around March 2014, we will try to build this 60 megawatt power plant quickly in order not to waste the gas. At the same time, we will build the 230 KVA power line from Kanpauk to Dawei. It will take eight months to construct the 60 megawatt power plant and the 230 KVA power line. We’ve already bought the 60 megawatt machine,” said the official.