Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd. (MHPS) has received an order for two sets of Hitachi H-25 gas turbine and a generator for two islands of thermal power generation facilities, with a combined output of 50 MW, being newly established by Myanmar Electric Power Enterprise (MEPE), a state-owned power provider in Myanmar, Burma.
The equipment will serve as the core components of power infrastructure to support the Thilawa Special Economic Zone (SEZ) under development near Yangon, and will be delivered to Sumitomo Corporation, which is responsible for EPC (engineering, procurement and construction). Operation is scheduled to commence in March 2016 for the first unit and July 2016 for the second unit.
Reduction in transmission loss
The system being introduced is expected to provide power from within the zone itself, transmission loss can be minimized. The H-25 gas turbines are likely to enable a reduction in fuel utilization compared to conventional systems; CO2 emissions can be curbed and the environmental load reduced. As the equipment on order is a medium-size system, the power generation capacity can be increased within a short time frame. Hitachi’s H-25 is a heavy-duty, low-maintenance gas turbine, and to date 27 units have been ordered from Japan and 133 from overseas.
MHPS will be in charge of the manufacture and supply of the gas turbines and generators, and will also dispatch engineers to the site to provide necessary instruction. Thilawa SEZ is currently under development as a joint project of Myanmar and Japan, based on a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) concluded between the governments of the two countries in December 2012, with a target startup date of 2015.
The project’s aim is to develop an expansive area in the Thilawa district, roughly 23 kilometers from central Yangon, into an SEZ designed to attract direct overseas investment as a way of creating local employment opportunities and driving Myanmar’s economic development.
