Government’s plan to continue allowing private companies to generate and supply power to the public can rise threefold to fourfold in the current power bill without issuing any particular law as to the electricity, said local sources.
If the private companies supply power to
the public, the charge of one unit might be K 120 to K 150. At present,
the Ministry of Electric Power is signing agreements with the private
companies to generate and distribute electricity by means of hydropower,
natural gas-fired and coal-powered power plants on a basis of BOT
system.
Permissions have been given to over 20
local companies to distribute power to 84 townships. According to the
latest unconfirmed news, the President Office officially permitted the
companies to privatize the electric power sector gradually.
Among the local companies given
permission are Gold Energy Co, Ltd of Asia World, Ruby Dragon
Construction, Capital Development, Eden Energy and Natural Resources
Development Company, sources said.
Moreover, Toyo-Thai-like external
companies are permitted to generate and distribute power through BOT
system. If power is generated by natural gas, one unit price may be K
120 to K 150. The foreign companies are Toyo-Thai Company, BKB,
Singapore-based Myanmar Power Pte and UPP Holding Company. Some have
been given permission and some are waiting for permissions, sources
said.
A 120 MW natural gas-fired power plant
was given permission to Toyo-Thai Company. Since then one unit charge
was fixed at 13.31 cent in US currency [current exchange rate K 975 for
one US dollar]. It means nearly K 130 for one unit. If BKB Company, one
unit price may be nearly K 130. Similarly, Myanmar Power Pte may sell
one unit for K 120 and UPP Holding Company, over K 150 for one unit,
sources said.
In the construction of the power plants
by the foreign companies, the Ministy of Electric Power is to provide
required natural gas to them. The ministry is to pay for the amount of
natural gas from its budget. If one unit is fixed, the charge of natural
gas should be added to one unit bill. If the ministry fails to give out
expenditures for required natural gas in constructing power plants of
the foreign companies, the price of one unit might rise threefold to
fourfold in the current electricity bill, said power observers.
According to the reports of the Ministry
of Electric Power, the ministry faces K 22 loss in one unit because its
production cost for one unit is K 78 and gets back K 56 only.
source: Eleven Myanmar
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