CHINA SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH JUNTA FOR WIND POWER PROJECTS IN RAKHINE STATE

The media run by the Military Council reported that China and the junta would jointly implement wind power projects for the first time in Ann, Thandwe and Gwa Townships in Rakhine State.

He Ministry of Electricity, Directorate of Electric Energy Planning (DEPP) and Primus Advanced Technologies Yunnan Machinery and Equipment Import and Export Co. Ltd. signed Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) in Naypyitaw for these wind power projects.

The junta-appointed Minister of the Ministry of Electricity and Energy, Thaung Han, said that they would work for wind power projects with a total generating capacity of 360 MW in Rakhine State as there were limited power resources.

These projects are 150 MW in Ann, 100 MW in Gwa and 110 MW in Thandwe Townships respectively.

He urged the companies to implement all three projects energetically to be completed by 2025 and the first phase of Gaw project with 50 MW capacity must be completed by December 2023.

The Chinese ambassador said that the cooperation between the largest electricity energy producer China and the energy-resources-rich Myanmar would benefit both countries and China would help Myanmar for electric power sufficiency in the whole country by the year 2030.

A local resident from Thandwe said that the project got very little support from the local people as it did not ensure that this wind turbine project was the people-centric project. Similarly, a local resident from Ann said that the project must not affect the interests of the local people in implementing it. Junta's Union Minister Thaung Han said that the 360 MW energy produced from these projects would be used for the local projects which would benefit the local people but currently even the insufficient electric energy being provided to the local people was diverted to the connections of the local army units.

The government led by the then President Thein Sein signed MoU for wind turbine projects with China two times in 2012 and 2016 and they conducted the feasibility study in 2012 for the first time but it was not successful. China has the installed wind power capacity of nearly 400 GW and it is nearly one third of the total global wind power capacity and China stands as the largest wind power producer in the world.