Myanmar uses alternative way to generate electricity in water-scare summer for supplying Yangon

www.chinaview.cn 2009-03-20 11:21:01

YANGON, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar is using fuel as an alternative way to generate electricity for distribution to the former capital city of Yangon when water resources, which create hydropower, are reducing in the present summer.

The reduction in water resources has led to the generation of only 300 megawatts (mw) of electricity, which include that from four gas-run power plants, to feed Yangon against the city's demand of over 500 mw for daily power consumption, the local Biweekly Eleven said Friday.

In order to enable alternate electricity supply to residential houses and 450,000-workforce industrial zones for at least five hours, the authorities temporarily stopped operation of some high power-consuming heavy industries such as some steel plants in the Myaungtaka Industrial Zone in Yangon, it said.

At a time when running of such heavy industries are suspended, Myanmar is using fuel for electricity generation, the report added.

Meanwhile, the prolonged abnormal electricity supply in Yangon has impacted the business of all walks of life.

For successive months since the end of last year, residents in Yangon have been generally experiencing a hard time under serious electricity shortage with intermittent power supply available only in a day instead of round-the-clock supply normally.

With business and industrial enterprises mostly lying in Yangon, the city's electricity consumption takes up 60 percent or about 530 mw.

At the time of electricity and water shortage, a large number of people equip themselves with big and small petrol- or diesel-run generators to lead their lives.

The running of generators has created much noise and unpleasant smell from its exhaust which add to the environment issue, residents reflected.