Myanmar’s Dawei Industrial Zone is sounded out for EGAT 1800MW coal plant

The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) says that a new coal-fired power plant in Dawei will benefit both Thailand and Myanmar.

Confirming mutual benefit for Thailand and Myanmar from the new coal-fired power plant, EGAT Governor Sutat Patmasiriwat acknowledged on Tuesday that his agency has studied the new power plant project in Myanmar’s planned Dawei industrial estate zone and found that it should generate about 1,800 megawatts of electricity and have a power transmission network connecting to Thailand’s power grid.

According to the EGAT governor, Thailand will buy excess power from Dawei and can also supply power to Dawei in case of local power disruption through the power grid connection.

The EGAT governor revealed that the new coal-fired power plant and its transmission network will cost about 100 billion baht, but also revealed that is not going to be straightforward as Myanmar has not yet revised its laws to facilitate investment in electricity generation.

The incumbent EGAT governor told reporters that he will retire on September 30, 2013 and he is concerned over Thailand’s electricity security and the generation costs, as public oppositions have blocked the construction of new coal-fired power plants, resulting in the country’s power generation depending on liquefied natural gas (LPG), which should affect national competitiveness after the next five years.