The French government has agreed to provide US$1 million to help Myanmar perform feasibility studies for the 690-MW Laymyo hydroelectric plant.
The cascade system is to include two powerhouses — the 600-MW Laymyo 1 and 90-MW Laymyo 2, according to Ministry of Electricity and Energy officials — and will be located in Myanmar’s southwestern Rakhine state.
Reports indicate that the project has been in limbo for at least the past two years, when a new administration suspended it for lack of a clear federal energy development strategy.
Officials from Myanmar’s Department of Electric Power Planning said the feasibility studies will be performed by Belgian engineering and consulting firm Tractebel, which was also involved with the project prior to its suspension in 2014.
Myanmar’s current government has been actively looking to exploit the country’s significant hydro potential, which has been estimated by the World Bank as being up to 10 GW.
HydroWorld.com reported in March that the government had moved forward with plans to built the 66-MW Maingwa plant, while the country’s 140-MW Upper Paunglaung project was officially opened in December.
Source: HydroWorld
