Electrical industry of burma/myanmar

POWER BOOST FOR YANGON AS RAIN FALLS

Kyaw Hsu Mon, Myanmar Times, 21/06/10 (Issue 528). http://mmtimes.com/2010/news/528/news007.html

Yangon City Electricity Power Supply Board (YESB) last week began supplying more electricity to residential and industrial zones in the city, a senior official said on June 15. Supply has improved because recent rains have begun filling the Lawpita dam and the Yadana-Yangon natural gas pipeline has come online, the YESB official said. “The water supply at Lawpita has improved and with the natural gas that we are now also receiving we can improve both the voltage and the supply of electricity,” he said. If the situation continues to improve, the board could even start supplying 24-hour electricity, he added. “Under the rotation system currently in place, we are able to provide six hours of electricity a day to each area,” he said. “But now we can give almost double that – about 12 hours a day. We hope we can provide 24-hour electricity by about the second week of July.”
The natural gas pipeline project linking the Yadana field with Yangon was officially opened on June 9 by Energy Minister U Lun Thi, state media reported. The 24-inch pipeline is to increase the amount of gas allocated from the Yadana project for domestic consumption to 200 million cubic feet a day (mmcfd), up from 110mmcfd. The US$270 million project was commissioned by the Ministry of Energy and construction began in December. Singapore-based Swiber Holdings won the contract for the 150-kilometre (93-mile) offshore section, while local company IGE was responsible for the 135km onshore section linking Daw Nyein village in Ayeyarwady Division with the Ywama Gas Distribution Station in Yangon. When electricity supplies began dwindling in December, YESB introduced a rotation system where residential areas in Yangon were to receive a minimum of six hours a day and industrial zones five hours.
An official from the Dagon Seikkan Industrial Zone Committee said the zone electricity supply improved on June 16. The committee has divided the zone into two groups, with one group receiving power from 7am to midday and the other from midday to 5pm. “This is just a temporary schedule for the electricity that we are receiving now ... but we are pleased because for about one month before this we had no electricity at all,” he said.
U Thein Tun, owner of Unicolor, an exercise book manufacturer in the Dagon Seikkan Industrial Zone, said the improved supply had significantly reduced operating costs. “We run our factory 10 hours a day regardless of the electricity supply. Over the past month we’ve been using 15 gallons (68 litres) of fuel a day to keep a generator going but now we’re using about half of that amount … we still don’t have as much electricity as we would like,” he said on June 16. A spokesperson for the Hlaing Tharyar Industrial Zone Committee said the committee had also split factories into two groups to take advantage of the improved electricity.
Ko Kyaw Kyaw, 30, from North Okkalapa township, said he had noticed the electricity supply became more regular last week. “I think the power supply got better starting on about June 13, but sometimes it still goes off when there is a lot of rain,” he said. Ko Thiha, a resident of Tarmwe township, said he was pleased at the timing of the improved power as it allowed him to watch the football World Cup at his home rather than in the teashop.
The YESB official said Yangon used about half of the electricity generated in Myanmar. “Demand from Yangon is about 600MW a day. But we are producing only about 750-800MW a day for the whole country and it’s difficult to say exactly how much of that goes to Yangon,” he said.
Additional references
See above: ‘Improved poweer supply brings better business climate to most’ (MT: 06/06/11)

‘New hydro power plants ease dry season shortages in Yangon’ (MTBR: 20/12/10)

See below: ‘Coping with unreliable power supply in Burma’s cities’ (IRROL: 22/05/10)

‘Rangoon reels under severe power cuts’ (Mizzima: 02/04/10)

‘Small businesses, factories struggle to keep up with rising fuel prices’ (IRROL: 06/03/08)

'Fuel price increase impacts industrial use of electricity' (IRROL: 15/08/07)

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MOU SIGNED ON MAWLAIK AND KALEWA POWER PROJECTS

NLM, 29/05/10. Edited. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs09/NLM2010-05-29.pdf

The Department of Hydropower Planning of EPM-1, China Guodian [Huadian] Corp of the PRC and and Tun Thwin Mining Co Ltd signed an MoU to develop a hydropower project in Mawlaik township and a coal-fired thermal power plant in Kalewa township in Nay Pyi Taw on 27/05/10. Signing for the HPD was Director-General U Kyee Soe, for China Guodian, Executive Vice-President Mi Shuhuam, and for Tun Thwin Mining was Chairman Thein Tun, Among those attending the ceremony was EPM-1 Zaw Min, National Planning and Economic Development Minister Soe Tha, Attorney-General U Aye Maung and responsible persons of China Guodian and Tun Thwin Mining. The Executive Vice-President of the Chinese company expressed thanks for the signing ceremony.
Website references:
http://www.cgdc.com.cn/en_no_use/en_index.html

China Guodian [Huadian] Corporation is one of the five largest nationwide power generation groups approved by the State Council of China. It mainly engages in the development, investment, construction, operation and management of power generation, and the sales of power (and heat). It is involved in the investment, construction, operation and management of the business relevant to its core business, such as coal, power generation equipment, new energy, transportation, high-tech, environment protection, technological services and consultancy. Besides that it is also involved in both domestic and international financing, and international trade, economic cooperation, international project contracting and international laboring service. China Guodian [Huadian] Corporation owns 16 regional and provincial branch companies, 13 extra large subsidiary companies, 2 R&D institutes, nearly 200 power enterprises, covering 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) with over 110,000 employees. By the end of 2009, the total controllable installed capacity of China Guodian [Huadian] reached 82,030 MW, including 70,250 MW by thermal and taking 88.64% of total installed capacity, 6,376 MW by hydro (including 3.9MW tidal power) and taking 7.77%, and 5,345.2 MW by wind power and taking 6.52%, and 54MW by biomass generation and taking 0.07%. China Guodian [Huadian] is the largest wind power operator in Asia and No. 5 in the world.

http://www.tunthwinmining.com/index.htm

Tun Thwin Mining Co Ltd is a privately owned company, incorporated on 3rd January, 2000. It mainly engages in exploring for and mining coal. It has operated the Nantahin-Paluzawa coal mines in Kalewa township since early 2004. From 2001 to 2003 the company was engaged in exploration activies, along with regional mapping, a survey of the massive coal seam at Paluzawa and detailed mapping of the mining area. Currently the mining operations are open cut, but the design is also drawn for underground coal mining. Analysis of coal samples from the Nantahin-Paluzawa mines show that it has excess of carbon and less sulphur and ash. The coal is of sub-bituminus to bituminus quality.

Additional references:
Data summary: Mawlaik Nantahin

See above: ‘China Guodian to build power station on Nam Tabat in Kachin state’ (NLM: 22/01/11)

NLM, 01/11/11. Edited. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs12/NLM2011-11-02.pdf

At the session of the Pyithu Hluttaw on 01/11/11, U Thaung of Mawlaik Constituency in Sagaing Region asked if the government could provide a 150-KVA diesel engine to supply power to Mawlaik. Deputy EPM-2 Aung Than Oo replied that electricity was currently supplied to 609 users in Mawlaik for about 2.30 hrs a day using a 608-KVA Skoda generator, a 300-KVA Camming generator, a 5-KVA Nissan generator and a 25- KVA Nibban generator. These generators consumed 1250 gallons of diesel monthly. When the proposed Htamanthi and Mawlaik hydropower projects were completed a power grid connecting Htamanthi-to Phaungpyin, Mawlaik, Kalewa and Monywa would be constructed and Mawlaik would be supplied with electricity from the national grid. In the meantime, arrangements were underway to provide a 500-KVA diesel generator to Mawlaik during FY 2011-12.

NLM, 18/08/10. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs09/NLM2010-08-18.pdf

EPM-1 Zaw Min reports to the Special Projects Implementation Committee of the SPDC that the Mawlaik hydropower project on the Chindwin river about 20 miles northeast of Mawlaik will be launched soon. The dam will be of a rock-filled/concrete type. It will have generating capacity of 520 megawatts and is expected to produce about 3310 million kilowatts hours a year. In addition, a coal-fired power plant will be built about 11 km northwest of Kalewa which will be able to produce from 3000 to 4200 million kilowatt hours a year with two 300-megawatt generators. It is intended to help meet the power demands of Sagaing Division. Over 1.3 million to 1.9 million tons of coal for the plant will be provided from Paluziwa coal mine near Kalewa.

NLM, 01/05/10. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs08/NLM2010-05-01.pdf

EPM-1 Zaw Min received Mr Gao Song, Vice-president of China Guodian Corporation of the People’s Republic of China, and party at the ministry in Nay Pyi Taw on 29/04/10. The meeting focused on co-operation. Also present at the call were ministry officials, General Manager Li Hongyuan of Guodian Yunnan Power Co Ltd from China and Chairman Thein Tun of Tun Thwin Mining Co Ltd.

Myanmar Information Sheet, 09/06/05. Edited.

http://www.myanmar-information.net/infosheet/2005/050609.htm

Prime Minister Soe Win and party flew to Pantha village in Mawlaik township where Deputy A&I Minister Ohn Myint reported on arrangements for Mawlaik dam multipurpose project to be implemented at the confluence of the Chindwin and Uru rivers. Next, U Maung Maung Tin, Director of Construction Group-4 of the Irrigation Dept, reported on the condition of the site chosen to build Mawlaik multi- purpose dam. A feasibility study is under way to implement the dam project. The estimated power generation of the project is about 500 megawatts. [Compiler’s note: The ‘Uru river’ mentioned in this news item is almost certainly not the Uru river that empties into Chindwin near Homalin but the the Yu river which flows into the Chindwin near Mong Yu about 15 km upstream from Pantha.]

NLM, 28.04/04. http://burmalibrary.org/docs/NLM2004-04-28.pdf

From a report of a meeting of the National Electric Power Development Co-ordinating Group held at the Office of the Commander-in-Chief (Army) in Yangon on 27/04/04. "Other major electric power projects are the 1,200-MW Htamanthi project in Homelin township, the 400-MW Mawleik project in Mawleik township, the 660-MW Shwesarye project in Budalin township,

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COPING WITH UNRELIABLE POWER SUPPLY IN BURMA'S CITIES

Aye Chan Myate, IRROL, 22/05/10. Edited and condensed.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=18530
Burmese people are getting more and more ingenious at finding ways to cope without a reliable power supply. Recently, I spoke with a friend in Burma who told me about the latest “must-have” item on the market: a battery charger with a rotating lever that you can use to power your cell phone for up to an hour. Costing between 5,000 and 8,000 kyat (US $5-8), this hand-cranked dynamo charger is fast becoming an indispensable addition to the long list of tools used for dealing with the daily blackouts that afflict most of the country outside of Naypyidaw, where the ruling generals bask in 24-hour-a-day access to electricity.
Already, a typical Burmese household relies on an array of equipment to meet its energy needs, including car batteries, chargers, inverters, generators and transformers. Needless to say, the device my friend described was made in China. Few Burmese can afford better-made products from Japan or elsewhere, so we have to make do with cheap contraptions produced in Chinese factories or Burmese-made knock-offs.

When I was younger, it was common to see people using car batteries to power foot-long fluorescent lamps. When the batteries died, they had to be taken to a shop for recharging. But these days, most people have their own chargers and use batteries to run many different types of appliance.

To run most appliances on a car battery, you need an inverter, which converts direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC). Inverters started coming onto the Burmese market about 10 years ago. At first, they were imported from China, but these days, Burmese-made inverters with brand names like Matrawnit, Duwon and U Pe Thein are widely available for around 70,000 kyat (US $70). Unlike the original inverters from China, the Burmese versions typically include a charger, so that the battery is always ready for use whenever the main power supply dies. But this means that you have to be careful not to let the water level—which falls as the battery is being charged—go too low. To prevent damage to the battery, everyone—even the children—must regularly check to see if the water needs to be topped up.
The ideal in most Burmese homes is to have at least two batteries—as the actress May Tha Nu used to say in commercials: “One for the lights, the other for the cassette player.” But not everyone can afford such luxury. A 120-volt battery costs around 100,000 kyat ($100), while a 150-volt battery is about 120,000 kyat ($120). The problem with using car batteries is that the main power supply is so irregular—cutting off every five or 10 minutes—that the battery doesn't know how to store the electricity, often making the inverter useless.
Some people then turn to generators to ensure that they have a steady power supply. Generators vary considerably in size. Some are small enough to be carried by a handle, while others are as big as huts. The smaller ones are used mainly for charging batteries or making sure the TV doesn't go black at an inopportune moment (when I was working for a magazine inside Burma in 2006, I edited a story about a fire caused by a child who spilled petrol while trying to fill a generator so his mother could watch her favorite Korean soap opera).
These home-use generators range considerably in price, from around 80,000 kyat ($80) for a Chinese model to about double that for a Honda. But the real expense is fuel. A liter of gasoline costs 900 kyat ($0.90) and will keep a Honda generator running for just one hour. For commercial and industrial purposes, however, nothing beats a made-in-Burma diesel-powered generator. These big, noisy machines are ubiquitous in Rangoon's downtown business district and in suburban industrial estates. They aren't cheap, but unlike Chinese generators, they are built to last.
Apart from the general lack of electricity in Burma, another problem is voltage fluctuations. Usually, the voltage is too low, especially for businesses, so there is a great demand for step-up transformers. But power surges are also common, so many people buy regulators—transformers that automatically increase or decrease voltage to maintain a steady output. Transformers can cost as little as 50,000 kyat ($50) or as much as 500,000 kyat ($500). In effect, they are used to steal electricity from the local power grid. If one house has a transformer, it will get more electricity, while its neighbors will get less. So as more and more people get transformers, they are becoming less useful.
These days, some homes even have computers. But in Burma, computer users must always have a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) to cope with abrupt power cuts. A UPS will give you enough time to shut down your computer properly if the main power supply dies; without it, your machine could suffer irreparable damage.
At the other end of the technological spectrum, even simple lighting presents difficulties in Burma. People put candles and lighters in several places around their homes so they always know where to find them when they're needed. But for reading at night, especially under a mosquito net, candles can be dangerous, so these days small rechargeable LED lamps are a popular option. A Chinese-made lamp with 20 LED bulbs costs just 1,500 kyat ($1.50) and emits enough light for reading, but not much else. It's very convenient, but as with most products imported from China, it typically lasts only a few weeks before it breaks down.
For most Burmese, life is almost unthinkable without all the extra gadgets that help them to make the most of their limited access to electricity. Some may even feel a grudging gratitude toward China for supplying many of the things that make life bearable in one of the world's most power-starved countries. But they would probably be much happier if they could do without all of these devices and enjoy the kind of reliable power supplies that are available even in remote corners of China—courtesy, in large part, of Burma.
[Compiler’s note: The original version of this article is accompanied by an AP photo showing fish sellers using a battery-powered lamp at their pavement shops as they waits for customers in Rangoon.]
Additional references
See above: ‘Improved poweer supply brings better business climate to most’ (MT: 06/06/11)

‘New hydro power plants ease dry season shortages in Yangon’ (MTBR: 20/12/10)

‘Power boost for Yangon as rain falls’ (MT: 21/06/10)

See below: ‘Rangoon reels under severe power cuts’ (Mizzima: 02/04/10)

‘Inverters keep lights and TV sets running’ (MT: 04/07/05)
Ko Htwe, IRROL, 14/06/10. Condensed. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=18713

Burma's state-run electricity firm has so far managed to provide adequate power to Rangoon each evening since the World Cup football tournament kicked off in South Africa on Friday. The measure has kept thousands of football fans happy as they can now enjoy the month-long sports competition live on TV. It comes after a severe drought caused water shortages in Burma last month resulting in frequent power cuts around the country, even in the capital, Naypyidaw. Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Monday, an official from state-run MEPE said, “A certain businessman close to regime secured the rights to broadcast the World Cup in Burma nationwide. However, without a guarantee of electricity every evening, he cannot transmit it regularly on TV. So, he had to get some guarantees from MEPE.” Yangon Entertainment, run by Zaw Min Aye, a son of one of the top military generals, Lt-Gen Tin Aye, was granted exclusive rights to broadcast the World Cup on TV. It screens the games through the country's only two TV stations, MRTV and Myawaddy. Hundreds of bars, restaurants and tea shops, such as the dozens that occupy the area surrounding Rangoon’s popular Kandawgyi Lake, are currently showing every match on large screens until late at night, attracting hundreds of customers. Speaking to The Irrawaddy, a retired professor from Rangoon said, “Thanks to the World Cup, we are now getting a regular supply of electricity every night. I heard that MEPE had to provide electricity for the matches because they were afraid of riots breaking out.” A reporter for a Rangoon-based weekly journal said, “When the World Cup began, the electric current became instantly more regular. However, it still goes off in the daytime.”

Aung Thet Wine, IRROL, 03/06/10. Edited and condensed.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=18615

Naypyidaw, the capital of Burma, which has received electricity service almost without interruption since it became Burma’s capital in late 2005, is facing a shortage of electricity, according to a government official. Most government ministries there have been on short supply since mid-May, said a MEPE official who is based in Nay Pyi Taw. Meanwhile, in Mandalay electricity often functions for only an hour a day. Zaygyo, the city's well-known market, has had no electricity for several days, said a resident. In Rangoon, officials blamed a gas pipeline leak in Mudon for electric power outages in the city. “Another problem is that Chinese-made hydro-electric generators are always breaking [down] and sometimes there’s not sufficient water [in the dam reservoirs] to run the generators,” said an official at EPM-2. In Pegu [Bago] diivision, electricity has been completely cut off for days, and local people in almost all townships have turned to rented diesel generators in order to pump water for daily use, said one source.

IRROL, 03/06/10. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=18614

A fire destroyed 472 shops and stalls at the Chindwin Yadana Market in Monywa on 03/06/10, but no one was killed or injured, according to the local fire department. The fire was started by an electrical fault at 3 a.m, the fire department said, and quickly spread to both stories of the complex before being extinguished by the firefighters at 8 a.m. Chindwin Yadana Market is the main wholesale market in Monywa and was composed of 200 shops on the ground floor and 272 shops on the first floor selling everything from textiles, plastics and steel products to clothes and foodstuffs. “We are still investigating the cause of the fire and its losses,” said an official from the Monywa Fire Department. A textile shop owner in the market whose business was destroyed told The Irrawaddy: “My shop was valued at between 20 and 30 million kyat (US $20,000 - $30,000) and if I add the value of the textiles, I lost more than 50 million kyat ($50,000).” Chindwin Yadana Market was rebuilt as a two-story building 10 years ago. (IRROL, 03/06/10);

NLM, 27/05/10. Condensed. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs08/NLM2010-05-27.pdf

A fire broke out on the fourth floor of Mingala Market in Mingala Taungnyunt township, Yangon, at about 8.30 am on 24 May and was put out at about 5.05 am yesterday. The investigation made by a team led by Director U Aung Kyaw Myint of the Fire Services Department revealed that the market committee cut off electric power supply when the market hours were over at 5 pm on 23 May; that at that time owners of shop No. Sa (80/81) were boiling water with the use of an electric pot; that they forgot to pull off the plug as well as to switch it off; that the electric power supply resumed at the market hours at 7.30 am the following day, and the electric pot set fire to nearby cosmetics at about 8.30 am after all the water was dried up and the electric pot got excessively hot. Then, the whole floor caught fire, burning down 399 cosmetics shops, 398 pharmaceuticals shops on the fourth floor and 48 food stalls on the top floor. The total loss of goods is estimated at about 20,926.3 million kyats, and the loss caused by to the damage to the building is under estimation The disaster injured a public member and three firefighters, and there were no deaths. Mingala Taungnyunt Township Police Station has filed a lawsuit against owners of Shop Sa (80/ 81): U Tin Aung, Ma Thida Shwe (a) Ma Thida, and Ma Khin Mar Aye for their negligence. Authorities concerned today urged the people to use electric power with care, and warned that punitive punishment will be given to negligent electric power users next times.

Na Yee Lin Latt, IRROL, 26/05/10. Condensed. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=18559

The power cuts that plague Rangoon are also causing interruptions or overloading of land line communications. An engineer working at a township's communications unit told The Irrawaddy that the telephone relay system has been replaced in every township in Rangoon by an Auto Digital Exchange System (ADES), which needs sufficient electrical power to operate. “ADES is a computerized system, so we don't need someone to sit in the control chamber to relay the communications. But, it does need electricity 24 hours of every day,” the engineer said. Up to 700 land lines in Rangoon are reportedly cut off or busy every day. “The control chamber also must be air-conditioned. If there is no electricity the room will be overheated and the system will shut automatically. As a result, telecommunications are interrupted,” the engineer said. He said township communications offices needed inverters and generators to maintain a regular communications system in the dry season, when power cuts were more frequent. The Myanma Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) has said Burma has nearly 750,000 phone lines, including registered mobile hands sets, excluding disposable pre-paid card lines.

Aung Hla Tun, Reuters, 25/05/10. http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE64N15B20100524

A huge fire broke out in a commercial centre housing 4,000 shops and stalls in Myanmar's biggest city Monday but no casualties were reported, firefighters and traders said. Mingalar Zay, a five-storey market complex in Yangon, burst into flames around 9am and dozens of fire trucks were still battling to put out the blaze several hours later. "Fortunately, there were not many people inside the building when the first broke out, since the market had just opened," said the owner of pharmacy at the market. "Otherwise, there would definitely be a very high death toll." Local traders said they believed the fire was started by the overheating of a battery charger on the fourth floor. Myanmar is plagued almost daily by acute power shortages and factories, shops, hospitals are often badly affected by blackouts. Many people rely on batteries during power cuts and fires are common as a result of chargers overheating.

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