A Turkish-built floating power plant capable of generating 480 megawatts will cross the seas to Myanmar next year to help beat blackouts in the Yangon region.
The Karadeniz Powership Onur Sultan was launched in Istanbul on November 13. Karadeniz Holding officials said the vessel – which they called the “world’s largest floating power plant” – will arrive in Yangon by April 2017.
Karadeniz Holding subsidiary Karpowership was awarded a contract by the Myanmar Electric Power Generation Enterprise (EPGE) under the Ministry of Electricity and Energy.
The firm bid for a government tender to supply 300MW of power to Yangon, which was issued in July. The energy ministry announced in October that a consortium consisting of local companies National Infrastructure Holdings and MCM Pacific, and US companies APR Energy and Ace Resources Group, were awarded the contract.
But the EPGE is now also intending to enlist Karpowership to help power Yangon.
Managing director of EPGE U Khin Maung Win told The Myanmar Times, “Firstly we estimated electricity demand of Yangon in hot season as 300MW. But [demand] will be about 450MW. So we have signed a Letter of Acceptance with both companies – the US consortium and Karpowership – to supply 300MW each.”
U Khin Maung said the contracts of both companies will be five years and generated electricity will be transmitted into the national grid to distribute in the Yangon area and other parts of the country if necessary.
He said draft contracts have been submitted to authorities such as the Attorney General’s Office.
“Some of them have already replied. Later we will submit it again to cabinet and we are expecting to sign a Power Purchasing Agreement in December.”
The consortium led by US companies will build a land-based power plant in Ahlone township and Karpowership will be based in Thanlyin.
Zeynep Harezi of Karadeniz Holding called the recent tender process “very competitive”.
“We offered the lowest price, around US11 cents per KWh,” she said.
The electricity demand in the Yangon area is rising fast – from 1050MW in 2015 to 1250MW so far in 2016 according to Yangon Electricity Supply Corporation.
Turkey-based Karadeniz Holding is currently operating 13 powerships with installed capacity of 2700MW supplying electricity to Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. The company plans to build 14 more powerships by the end of 2017.
Source: The Myanmar Times
