Projects to produce more than 1,000 megawatts of hybrid power using natural gas and solar electric engines are underway in the states and regions, said the State Administration Council (SAC) Vice Chairman.
Speaking at the Union-level MSME Product Exhibition and Competition Coordination Meeting held at the Uppatasanti Pagoda in Nay Pyi Taw on February 5, the SAC Vice Chairman and Deputy Prime Minister, Vice-Senior General Soe Win, Chairman of the Committee on Development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), made the following statement.
He urged MSME entrepreneurs to work towards obtaining solar power in vacant land in industrial zones and other vacant land in the regions and states. By doing so, the challenge of insufficient electricity in industrial zones can be overcome. The projects are underway to produce more than 1,000 megawatts of hybrid power combined with natural gas and solar electric engines. Since the electricity generated will be distributed nationwide, electricity will be distributed proportionally. If each business can operate its own solar system, it will be more convenient, so it is necessary to discuss and implement it.
Among the presentations made during the meetings with MSME entrepreneurs, the main issues were access to capital, land, and electricity. Regarding capital, the MSME Working Committee has provided the maximum possible flexibility for entrepreneurs to obtain loans. Regarding land, the officials of the Working Committee are taking appropriate measures.
Regarding the issue of electricity supply, the main presentation of MSME entrepreneurs, although the country has more than 6,300 megawatts of electricity generation, there are factories that have stopped production due to various reasons and incidents of violence. The Ministry of Electric Power is making every effort to provide them with electricity on a rotating basis depending on the amount of electricity they can generate. Currently, six companies in the Thilawa Industrial Zone are generating and using more than 4.9 megawatts of electricity through solar systems. This has expanded their business operations, said the SAC Vice Chairman.
Taking this initiative as an example, other companies are planning to produce and use more than 8 megawatts of electricity. By doing this, each owner can fully use the electricity for their own business and sell the surplus to the national grid. The cost of implementing the solar system will cover the initial cost in a few years. For example, the 20-megawatt solar power system at the Commander-in-Chief's Office was built and used about two years ago, and the cost will be covered in one and a half year, said the SAC Vice Chairman.
Therefore, the State and Region Agency Chairmen who are present here should meet with entrepreneurs in their respective regions and explain to them how to generate electricity with solar systems and make MSME businesses successful. The exhibition and competition to be held today is being held with a grand goal in mind, as MSME businesses can greatly contribute to the development of the country, he said.
Through the MSME product exhibition and competition, MSME businesses can greatly contribute to the national goal of the country's prosperity and food security. MSME entrepreneurs must produce a product in a region and not only consume it domestically but also export it abroad. The MSME Working Committee has made progress since its establishment, but there is a need to increase exports and introduce new export items, he said.
The ceremony was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Union Minister for Planning and Finance U Win Shein, Union Minister for Industry Dr Charlie Than, Chairman of Nay Pyi Taw Council U Than Htun Oo, Deputy Ministers who are sub-committee chairmen, agency chairmen from Nay Pyi Taw Council and regions and states, officials from associations and exhibition managers, departmental heads and officials.
