Electrical industry of burma/myanmar

FISHERIES FACTORIES TO GET 24-HOUR POWER “BY MARCH”

Sann Oo, Myanmar Times, 22/10/07. http://mmtimes.com/no389/b006.htm

Work on getting exclusive electricity supplies to fisheries factories ahead of the dry months following monsoon should be fully completed by March next year, the director general of the Dept of Fisheries, U Khin Maung Aye, told a meeting of fishery sector entrepreneurs. Factories were encouraged in June to sign on to the scheme in the hope it would provide them with 24-hour power.
In all, 68 out of 85 eligible factories agreed to the plan, which they must finance themselves by paying for necessary substations and connecting power lines. “We are waiting for the parts we need from abroad and we expect that all work will be finished within two or three months,” said factory owner Tun Aye, referring specifically to his Shwe Yamon Company’s processing plant at the Hlaingthaya IZ. The scheme, being organised by the Dept of Fisheries in conjunction with the YESB, is aimed at keeping plants operating so they can increase exports and earn more foreign currency for Myanmar.
Daw Toe Nandar Tin, owner of the Anawar Dawi fishery processing plant in Dawbon township, said it would cost K6-10 million to set up the new electricity connection to her factory. “According to the distance between the main power line and my factory, the initial calculations show that amount,” she said at a special meeting held to discuss the project.
Fish Farmers Association chairman Than Lwin said the scheme should be expanded to cover ice factories. “Ice factories should also get electricity because ice plays a crucial role in the fishery sector,” he said. “If they can get more electricity, production costs can be reduced for ice and that would eventually reduce costs for the fishery sector too.” Many factories have welcomed the move to supply more electricity as it cuts back on the need to run costly diesel generators, which U Than Lwin said doubled ice production costs.
Although the initial plan included providing the nine fish-feed factories in Yangon with 24-hour electricity, the YESB said it was now considering reducing this, possibly to 18 hours a day. “Processing factories and cold storage facilities need electricity around the clock because of the nature of their work, but for factories producing fish feed, I think they would be okay if they got power for 18 hours a day,” an official from YESB told the Myanmar Times.

Additional references
Sann Oo, Myanmar Times, 16/06/08. http://www.mmtimes.com/no423/b002.htm

Officials from the Department of Fisheries say the export of fisheries products during the past two months of the current fiscal year has earned the country about US$72 million. Though exports fell during May, officials claimed they were slowly reviving to normal levels. “After Cyclone Nargis hit, normal trade had resumed by May 9, and border trade by May 5,” said one department official.” An official from the Myanmar Fisheries Products Processors and Exporters Association said processing factories were running normally, thanks to regular electricity supply.

See above: ‘Improved poweer supply brings better business climate to most’ (MT: 06/06/11)

See below: 'Fisheries factories offered 24-hour power' (MT: 09/07/07)

'Business leaders to pay for new power stations' (MT: 17/07/06)
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ELECTRIC POWER PLANTS OPENED IN 2007

Maung Linn Yaung, NLM, 11/10/07. http://myanmargeneva.org/NLM2007/eng/10oct/n071011.pdf

In 2007, the government opened the Yenwe hydroelectric power station (YW) that can generate 25 megawatts in Kyauktaga township, Bago division on 10 February, the electric power stations each of which can generate 60 kilowatts in four villages (KY) in Kayan Township, Yangon Division on 25 March, the Pyaing creek (PY) small-scale hydroelectric power station in Kyauktaw Township, Rakhine State on 30 March, the Kataik hydroelectric power station capable of generating 500 kilowatts in Paung township Mon state on 1 May, the Bontala (BT) hydroelectric power station capable of generating 250 kilowatts in Matupi township, Chin state on 2 May, the Chibwe (CB) creek hydroelectric power station that is able to generate 65 megawatts in Chibwe township, Kachin state on 5 May, a small-scale hydel power station capable of generating 20 kilowatts in Konbaung village, Kengtung township, Shan state north, and a small-scale hydel power station capable of generating 50 kilowatts in Namma (Wanlon) village, Kengtung township on 18 May and the Baingdah electric power station in DaikU township, Bago division on 20 May. [Photos of the exteriors of the Zaungtu station and Biluchaung stations accompany the text in the print edition of NLM.]
Compiler’s Note: References to other articles in the compendium are noted in parentheses. There are discrepancies in the information presented in the article above with the more detailed information available in the news items and articles to which reference is made. The opening of a 500-kW hydropower facility at the Kataik dam is to be doubted. No mention is made of such a facility in the official account of the opening of the dam in the NLM on 02/05/07 http://burmalibrary.org/docs2/NLM2007-05-02.pdf or in the many news items referring to the construction of the dam. However, the original design of the dam may include the eventual installation of a small power plant there, as in other cases of irrigation dams throughout the country.

Similarly, nothing is mentioned about a hydropower facility at the Baingda dam in the NLM article about the opening of the facility on 20 May 2007 http://burmalibrary.org/docs2/NLM2007-05-21.pdf

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VILLAGE RICE HUSK POWER PLANT WILL SERVE AS RESEARCH CENTRE

Kyaw Thu, Myanmar Times, 24/09/07. http://www.mmtimes.com/no385/n010.htm

A team of engineers from Myanmar and Thailand has started a project to set up a rice-husk power plant that will bring electricity to Taguntaing village in Twante township, Yangon Division, U Win Khine, the general secretary of the Myanmar Engineering Society, said last week. The 8-million-baht (US$ 251,000) project – which will result in the construction and installation of a 30-kilowatt rice-husk power plant in the village – is expected to be finished in December. “The aim is to develop the socio-economic conditions of the village,” he said.
The Study and Demonstration of Biomass Gasification for Electricity Project, funded by a grant from Thailand, will not only bring electricity to the village but will also help facilitate the development of research and technological specifications for rice-husk power plants, U Win Khine said. “Even though there are more than 500 rice-husk power plants in the country we have no standardised technical or equipment specifications that can guide us in their construction,” he said. “This project will help us develop these standards for future projects.”
The project is being conducted with help from researchers and equipment from Chiang Mai University. “They have also invited two local technical engineers involved in the project to attend the university for postgraduate degrees. They will conduct research during the project and write theses about it,” U Win Khine said.
He said the power plant would be built in Hlaingthaya IZ in Yangon and moved to the project site when it is finished. “After the project is done a committee will be formed to manage the power plant,” U Win Khine said. He added that MES has recommended that the university install power-saving light bulbs in Taguntaing. "If they use power-saving bubs, an additional 100 households can get electricity,” he said.
Additional references
See above: ‘Rice husk gasifiers to spur rural electrification’ (MT: 21/07/08)

See below: ‘Plans for $7-million-dollar rice-husk power plant edge forward’ (MT: 27/08/07)

The list at the conclusion of this article provides links to other bio-gas generation articles in the compendium.
Renewable Energy Projects and Business Opportunities (Myanmar), U Lin of the Myanmar Engineering Society, (2010?) http://news.ubmthailand.com/newsletter/2011/EPA/conference/ASEAN-Renewable-Energy/E-03-Myanmar-ULin-Final.pdf

Slides 45 and 46 of this presentation provide technical information and four pictures of the bio-gasifier project project in Dagoon Daing.

Min Lwin Swe, Distributed Power Generation from Rice Husk Gasification in Rural Myanmar (Graduate School, Chiang Mai University, May 2009, 137 pp). http://www.scribd.com/doc/31735643/Distributed-Power-Generation-From-Rice-Husk-Gasification-in-Rural-Myanmar

This is a master’s degree thesis based on a study of the bio-gasifier project in Tagoondaing. The study was designed to compare the efficiency in using bio-gas as a dual fuel to operate a generator in a village setting with the use of diesel alone. From the abstract (adapted): “In the village of Dagoon Daing in Twantay township, a rice husk gasifier-engine-generator system and electrification system was constructed and operated successfully for 4 hours per day. The engine was modified so that both diesel and producer gas produced by a bio-gasifier could be used. The maximum generator capacity of the unit was 50 kW. Lamp posts and electricity lines were installed along the main roads and connected to local school, temple and 304 households. Almost 400 light bulbs were fitted, serving nearly 1500 villagers. From the test results, it was found that at 31.28 kW, the rice husk consumption rate was 32.64 kg/h, representing a diesel replacement rate of about 65% with overall energy efficiency of 13.5%. The electricity cost was estimated to be in a range between $0.12-0.23/kWh (150-300 kyat/kWh) in comparison to $0.60/kWh (800 kyat/kWh) from an existing diesel system.” The thesis provides a wealth of information about the village in which the project was carried out as well as technical and economic information about bio-gasifiers in general and the down-draft gasfier used in the Tagoondaing setting. Many illustrative photos, diagrams, figures and tables are provided.

Than Htike Oo, Myanmar Times, 14/01/08. http://www.mmtimes.com/no401/n013.htm

The villages of Tagoondaing and Alesu, about 8 kms south of Twante has started to receive electricity supplied by a rice husk power plant. .The power plant, which is fuelled by burning rice husks, was installed in Tagoondaing late last year with financial support from the government of Thailand and technical support from Chiang Mai University. “The gasifier engine generator is run by rice husks and can produce 50 kilowatts. We’re supplying electricity to 304 homes in Tagoondaing and Alesu,” asid Dr Chatchawan Chaichana from Chiang Mai University. Local villagers expressed their appreciation for the project. “This is the first time in my life that I’ve had electricity,” said 45-year-old Tagoondaing resident U San Oo. “We get electricity from 6pm to 11pm. Now that the roads are lit it is easier to come back from our farms at night. We feel safer from dangers like snake bites when we walk around after dark,” he said, adding that schoolchildren have also benefited by being able to read and study later at night. Before the completion of the power plant villagers had to rely on batteries, candles and kerosene lamps for light. U San Thaung of the village electricity supply committee said residents will be charged K1500 a month for households using a fluorescent lamp, K1500 for a black and white television and K2000 for a colour TV. “We have expenses to operate and maintain the generator including buying diesel and providing salaries for four engineers. Right now we’re getting rice husks for free from three rice mills in the area but later we’ll need to buy more from other rice mills,” he said. “The price will decrease if more houses use the electricity. We are planning to provide electricity to Innmagyi and Sarphyusu villages, which are not far from Tagoondaing,” he said.

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YADANABON CYBER CITY SLATED FOR SOFT OPENING IN SEPTEMBER

Ye Kaung Myint Maung, Myanmar Times, 24/09/07. http://mmtimes.com/no385/n001.htm

The first phase of the multi-billion-kyat Yadanabon Cyber City being developed near Pyin Oo Lwin in Mandalay division will be ready for a soft opening later this month, a senior official said last week. U Zaw Min Oo, the chief engineer at the Information and Technology Dept of MPT in Nay Pyi Taw, said the soft opening would take place soon after September 25, the deadline for completing construction and infrastructure work.
An MPT report has estimated the cost of the first phase of the cyber city project, involving a three-storey teleport building, three incubation centres and roads, at about K3.8 billion. The teleport building has nearly 82,000 sq ft of floor space, the incubation centres about 23,000 sq ft each, while the cyber city has 12 miles of roads, being built to a width of 24 feet. The soft opening is expected to be attended by national leaders, ambassadors from ASEAN countries and other countries involved in the development of the project, guests and the media. “Yadanabon Cyber City will be a new source of national pride,” said U Zaw Min Oo, adding that the grand opening would take place next January to co-incide with the 60th anniversary of Independence Day.
U Zaw Min Oo said approval had been given to many international companies to invest in the cyber city. They include C-BOS, a Russian company that specialises in software development and is establishing a presence at the cyber city in co-operation with Myanmar conglomerate, Htoo Trading. Another foreign investor is Malaysia’s Maxi Net company, which specialises in network solutions as well as software development, said Zaw Min Oo. Many global ICT companies have also shown interest but a list of confirmed investors has yet to be released.
The MPT report says the master plan for developing the cyber city covers 4400 acres, of which half will be allocated to software firms and the other half to hardware companies. The Yadanabon master plan provides for the site to be expanded to 10,000 acres, the report says. As well as the teleport building and three incubation centres, the master plan provides for the construction of facilities for international and Myanmar software companies, a convention centre, a research and development centre, a training centre, commercial and services facilities and residential accommodation.
The plan also provides for the development of indoor and outdoor sporting facilities, a cinema, police station, post office, bank, clinic and market. According to a recent report by the Department of Human Settlement and Land Development under the Ministry of Construction, the city is targeted to house 50,000 people. Water will be supplied to the site from two dams northeast of the cyber city and the EPM No 1 will be responsible for providing power, with consumption estimated at 50 MW.
Additional references
See above: ‘New industry ministry to oversee developments in electronics field’ (NLM: 15/09/11)

‘Pyin-U-Lwin hydropower projects speeded up’ (NLM: 30/11/07)

See below: ‘Dam design at Yeywa hydropower project saves time, costs’ (MT: 04/04/05)
NLM, 05/02/12. Edited and condensed. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs13/NLM2012-02-05.pdf

On a visit to the Technological University (Yatanarpon Cyber City) in PyinOoLwin township Vice-President Sai Kham and Industrial Development Minister Thein Htay were briefed by Principal Aung Win and Minister for Science and Technology Aye Myint on matters regarding the university. In a speech, the Vice-President said that the university had been inaugurated on 10 October 2010 with the the aim of establishing the international level technological university that would enable its students to conduct advanced research work, and produce highly-qualified engineers who could contribute towards transforming the agro-based economy of Myanmar into a modern mechanized nation with momentum. The university hosts research and provides courses on Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Electronic Engineering (EC), Advanced Materials Engineering (AME) and Precision Engineering (PrE) for its students. Altogether 76 doctoral course students,1014 first year engineering students and 658 second year engineering students are pursuing courses and research at the university. It will participate in the establishment of ASEAN-Korea Cyber University and will be the first-ever institution in Myanmar to link with foreign universities.

Tin Maung, NLM, 12/12/08. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs6/NLM2008-12-12.pdf

The 7th Myanmar ICT Week 2008 will be held at the Yatanarpon Myothit from the 12^th to the 16^th of December. At present, the ICT main complex of the teleport and seven buildings which will serve as the incubation centre have been completed. Plans are under way to build the international software centre, the local software centre, the commercial and service unit, the parking area and the convention centre, the training center, the research and development unit and the southern residential area. In the northern part of the Myothit, the Mandalay City Development Committee has started the construction of a private housing estate. Potable water from Hsinlan and Sitha Dams is being provided to the Myothit and arrangements have been made to supply electricity to the new town round the clock. [Photos of the main building of the teleport and the incubation centre as well as a scale model of the digital auto-exchange, transmission equipment and a factory that will produce MDF and telephone accessories accompany the article in the print edition of NLM.]

NLM, 07/08/08. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs5/NLM2008-08-07.pdf

A co-ordination meeting for the Yadanabon Myothit Project was informed that land has been allotted to 35 local and foreign companies that will make investments in the 372-acre software factory area in the new town. Work is proceeding on the construction of roads, installation of power lines and the provision of water.

Min Lwin, IRROL, 29/07/08. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=13614

Twelve local and foreign information technology companies have been given permission by Burma’s ruling regime to invest in the country’s largest IT center, the Yadanabon Cyber City, according to Rangoon-based industry sources. The three foreign companies include the Russian-owned firm CBOSS, Maxinet of Australia and Global Technology, which is believed to be based in either Thailand or the UK. According to well-informed sources, the regime rejected proposed investments by Shin Satellite of Thailand, ZTE and Alcatel Shanghai Bell of China and Malaysia’s IP Tel Sdn Bhd. Burma has three Internet service providers—the state-owned Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications (MPT), BaganNet/Myanmar Teleport (formerly known as Bagan Cybertech) and Information Technology Central Services (ITCS), launched by the government-aligned Union Solidarity and Development Association in 2007. All are based in Rangoon.

Kyaw Zin Htun, Myanmar Times, 14/07/08. http://www.mmtimes.com/no427/news.htm

The government on July 2 urged 12 companies that agreed to invest in the Yadanabon cyber city project to begin developing their plots within two months. CPT Minister Thein Zaw delivered a strong message to the companies to speed their operations, said a CPT official who was present at the meeting. These companies were: Myanmar Teleport, FISCA enterprise, Htoo Trading, Russian firm C-Boss, Myanmar World Distribution, Maxinet, Global Technology, Nibban, Tamoenyel Chanthar Tun Wai Thar, Yadanarpone Cyber Corp, Myanmar Info-Tech, MCC and Fortune International, which had all previously agreed to build at the site. The companies involved had also agreed to spend a total of US$22 million at the site. These companies have been assigned 12 plots, with a combined area of 70 acres. One-off rental fees of K15 million an acre for factory space have been set and companies are expected to sign 50-year leases. The rental fees for training and development buildings, which measure 23,000 sq feet, were set at K2 million a month. The 10,000-acre Yadanabon site includes seven training and development buildings, 30 factory plots, a convention centre, a services district and a research and development area. There are also direct fibre optic cables and satellite connections with India, China and Thailand. Yadanabon is expected to accommodate about 50,000 residents.

Shah Paung, IRROL, 21/12/07. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=9715

The opening ceremony of the Yadanabon Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Park took place 14/12/07. Burmese state media reported that the center is situated on 10,000 acres of land, over one-fifth of which will house the production of software and hardware. According to the editor of a weekly journal, Rangoon will remain the IT and business center of the country, because most students and IT experts were based either there or in Mandalay. He added that it would not be easy to contract IT personnel to work in Yadanabon Cyber City and that transportation costs would become a problem. According to Gen Than Shwe who was present at the opening the government had provided a water and power supply, communications and administration facilities for the new town to enable local and foreign entrepreneurs to make investments in the ICT park. State media said that a total of 11 local and foreign companies had proposed investments in the project including Shin Satellite from Thailand; ZTE and Alcatel Shanghai Bell of China; IP Tel Sdn Bhd (Malaysia); and CBOSS (Russia). However, sources inside Burma said that many people doubt whether the project will come to fruition, because even in large cities like Rangoon and Mandalay, the government cannot provide enough electricity to run businesses. Electricity is currently rationed to six hours per day in rotation across those cities. Internet café owners in Burma still have to use their own generators to power their work stations.

Htar Htar Khin, Myanmar Times, 12/11/07. http://www.mmtimes.com/no392/b008.htm

The three-storey teleport building, centrepiece of of the Yadanabon Cyber City project, is now 95pc complete. The building comprises a total 81,778 square feet of floor space including a technical equipment area, an international conference room, an IT exhibition area, a meeting room and a service area, according to U Si Thu Myint Swe, a senior architect with ST&T Architecture & Building Services, who designed the teleport building’s interior. Built by A1 Construction, the building will be handed over to the telecommunications ministry once all work finishes this month. It will officially open in the second week of December, 2007 U Aung Zaw Myint, president of the Myanmar Computer Industry Association, said on November 7. The teleport building will be first used to host Myanmar ICT Week – an annual exhibition that allows IT businesses to showcase their products and services to the general public – which is leaving its former home at Tatmadaw Hall in Yangon for Yadanabon Cyber City. The cyber city will eventually be made up of nine “zones” being developed simultaneously, although a completion date is yet to be set. The nine zones comprise the teleport building; seven single-story “incubation units”; local and international software zones; a park and convention centre zone; a commercial and services zone; a research and development zone; a training centre; and a residential area. U Si Thu Myint Swe said the residential area would include a 400-acre subdivision of duplexes and standalone houses as well as a 123-acre section of serviced apartments. A report by Myanma Post and Telecommunications (MPT) estimated the cost of the first phase of the project, including the teleport building, three incubation centres and roads, at about K3.8 billion. The Yadanabon masterplan also calls for indoor and outdoor sporting facilities, a cinema, police station, post office, bank, health clinic and marketplace.

NLM, 18/08/03. http://mission.itu.ch/MISSIONS/Myanmar/03nlm/n030818.htm

The opening ceremony of the Mandalay Information Communications Technology Park and an International ICT Exhibition was held in the park centre on the third floor of the Yadanabon Market on 16 August morning. General Khin Nyunt, chairman of the Myanmar Computer Science Development Council said that new park had emerged as a result of the formation in February 2003 of the Mandalay ICT Development Corporation Ltd consisting of IT technicians, IT entrepreneurs and executives and members of the computer associations in Mandalay. The ICT park would play a pivotal role in enabling economic and social organizations and government departments in Mandalay and the whole of upper Myanmar to make extensive use of information technology. Mandalay division commander Ye Myint thanked the Head of State for his assistance in the opening of the ICT Park in Mandalay, so that it could keep abreast of Yangon in the IT field. He said the ICT park in Mandalay was a place where softwares of international standard could be produced. Mandalay ICT Park Chairman Than Aung said that the co-operative efforts of the executives of the Computer Scientists Association and the Computer Industry Association in Mandalay had enabled the park to be built in a period of four months. Then General Khin Nyunt and party viewed the operations and displays and course work of the 35 software and hardware IT companies occupying the centre. Afterwards Maj Than Aung formally opened the International ICT Exhibition and General Khin Nyunt and party viewed the services of MPT and Bagan Cybertech in the centre.

Moe Zaw Myint, Myanmar Times, 21/01/02. http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/docs3/MT099.htm

The Information Communication Technology Park, the first such centre in Myanmar, was inaugurated at Yangon University’s Hlaing campus on January 21. The Park adjoins a teleport and internet data centre established by semi-government Bagan Cybertech, which opened the same day. In all it is estimated some US$10 million has been spent on the complex. "The opening of MICT Park and Bagan Teleport and Internet Data Centre is an encouraging event for the development of the ICT sector," said U Thein Htut, a director of the Myanmar ICT Development Corp, the consortium which developed the park. "The park will create business opportunities for Myanmar software companies, while the teleport and internet data centre will assist in the expansion of communications infrastructure," U Thein Htut said. The concentration of IT companies at the park would enable the development of big software projects which were beyond the scope of a single company acting alone, he said. The park provides facilities for 32 tenants. They include 24 Myanmar IT companies, which have already established operations at the facility. The park also has two Japan-Myanmar e-learning centres and six rooms have been reserved for future use by foreign software firms. Bagan Cybertech provides the MICT Park with high speed data communication broadband Internet access and telephony voice services, in collaboration with Ministry of Communications, Posts and Telegraphs. A three-day ‘Myanmar Software and Solutions’ exhibition opening at the park today features displays by 38 Myanmar and foreign companies of software developed for use in the banking and finance, hospitality, manufacturing, telecommunications, health care, human resources and entertainment sectors. The events promoting the opening of the MICT Park also include a two-day seminar starting at Traders Hotel on January 21. It will be attended by participants from Asean countries and Europe.

See below: 'Homegrown software industry struggles on' (MT: 12/03/07)

'Collaborate on contracts, ICT sector urged' (MT: 12/12/05)

‘Electronics industry spreading roots in industrial sector’ (NLM: 06/06/04) 'Software growth badly in need of human touch' (MT: 16/10/00)
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