News

- A landmark Singapore-Myanmar project and a major milestone for Myanmar’s power industry
- Most efficient power plant in the country, and the first with integrated solar power generation
- 95% staffed by locals, demonstrating Sembcorp’s successful knowledge transfer

Leading Singapore-based integrated energy company Sembcorp Industries (Sembcorp) today celebrates the official opening of its US$310 million Sembcorp Myingyan Independent Power Plant (IPP) in Mandalay, Myanmar.

The ceremony is to be graced by Their Excellencies U Win Khaing, Union Minister at Myanmar’s Ministry of Electricity and Energy and Chee Hong Tat, Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Trade & Industry and Education. They will be joined by government officials from Myanmar and Singapore, and senior management representatives from Sembcorp.

Developed, owned and operated by Sembcorp, the power plant marks many firsts in Myanmar and represents an important milestone in the development of the country’s power sector.

Successful delivery of Myanmar’s first competitively-tendered IPP
Sembcorp Myingyan’s opening marks the successful delivery of the first competitively-tendered IPP in the country, and demonstrates the success of Myanmar’s new private-public partnership model. The project was funded by multilateral institutions like the Asian Development bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), as well as international commercial lenders, including Clifford Capital, DBS Bank, DZ Bank and Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation. With its world-class commercial structure and bankable project documents, Sembcorp Myingyan has won several awards in the international project finance community, and sets the bar for other IPP projects in Myanmar in the future.

Myanmar’s most efficient power plant and one of the largest CCGT facilities in the country
With a contracted capacity of 225 megawatts, the plant is one of the largest combined-cycle gas turbine plants in Myanmar. It is also the country’s most efficient power plant, featuring advanced technology to maximise power output and minimise greenhouse gas emissions. The project began operations in October 2018 and will generate around 1,500 gigawatt hours of electricity per year. This will help to meet the power needs of approximately 5.3 million people.

The first facility in Myanmar to integrate thermal and renewable power generation
Unusual for a power plant, Sembcorp Myingyan also has solar panels integrated into its premises. 106 kilowatt peak of solar panels have been installed on the rooftop of the plant’s administrative building and warehouse, with potentially more to come. With this, Sembcorp Myingyan has become Myanmar’s first power plant to integrate both gas-fired and solar power generation.

The solar panels will generate renewable electricity for onsite use, enhancing environmental sustainability of the facility. Having solar power will also mean the plant will need less of the power generated by its gas turbines to run its own operations, thereby maximising the power that Sembcorp Myingyan can export to the grid.

A long-term investment in the community
The Sembcorp Myingyan power plant contributes significantly to the people of Myanmar. Besides generating power for the country, the project has also created jobs for locals and opportunities for knowledge transfer.

Today, the Sembcorp Myingyan plant is 95% staffed by Myanmar nationals. These include Myanmar nationals who had worked with Sembcorp in Singapore previously, and who were then posted back to Myanmar to work at Sembcorp Myingyan, train new hires, and facilitate localisation of the staff team.

Aside from this, Sembcorp has also spearheaded many initiatives to improve the quality of life within the local Myingyan community. The company has supported education, enhanced access to potable water, upgraded and repaired community infrastructure and assisted in seasonal flood relief work. For instance, Sembcorp has installed 14 water treatment plants in 13 villages in the vicinity of the plant, providing more than 19,000 people with access to clean drinking water within 500 metres of their homes. In addition, the company has built large underground tanks in the villages, each holding 5,000 gallons of firefighting water. This can be accessed quickly in times of need, instead of the villagers having to go a distance to draw firefighting water.

Spokesperson Quotes
“Sembcorp is pleased to inaugurate our first power plant in Myanmar, which also marks the first fruits of the country’s public-private partnership framework for energy projects.

“The Sembcorp Myingyan plant is a state-of-the-art, efficient facility that signals a new era of advancement for Myanmar’s power sector. This project demonstrates Sembcorp’s ability to serve as an integrator that brings together finance, technology, as well as technical and operational expertise to solve infrastructure challenges for the benefit of society, and for the betterment of people’s lives.”

- Neil McGregor, Group President & CEO, Sembcorp Industries

“The success of Sembcorp Myingyan would not have been possible without the favourable reception of the local community, which has supported us throughout the project. Sembcorp is here for the long term and we look forward to continuing open, proactive engagement with nearby residents and to working with them in meaningful initiatives that make a lasting positive impact.”

- Dennis Foo, Managing Director, Sembcorp Myingyan Power Company

“The Sembcorp Myingyan project is a landmark collaboration between Singapore and Myanmar and a result of close partnership between Singapore, Myanmar and international parties. Besides being owned, developed and operated by Sembcorp, the project was also constructed by Singapore and Myanmar contractors, supported with technical advice and funding from Singapore-based professional services and commercial lenders. This is a strong showcase of the growing Singapore-Myanmar economic ties, and how Singapore companies can partner Myanmar in its long-term development. Enterprise Singapore will continue to help companies participate in such infrastructure projects regionally.”

- Tan Soon Kim, Deputy CEO, Enterprise SG

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For analysts’ and media queries, please contact:

Analysts 
Ling Xin Jin (Ms)
Senior Manager 
Group Strategic Communications & Sustainability
DID: +65 6723 3384
Email: [email protected] 

Media
Liu Xingti (Ms) 
Manager
Group Strategic Communications & Sustainability
DID: +65 6723 3202
Email: [email protected]

ABOUT SEMBCORP INDUSTRIES
Sembcorp Industries is a leading utilities, marine and urban development group, operating across multiple markets worldwide.

As an integrated energy player, Sembcorp is poised to benefit from the global energy transition. With a strong track record in developing and developed markets, it provides solutions across the energy and utilities value chain, with a focus on the Gas & Power, Renewables & Environment, and Merchant & Retail sectors. It has a balanced energy portfolio of over 12,000 megawatts, including thermal power plants, renewable wind and solar power assets, as well as biomass and energy-from-waste facilities. In addition, Sembcorp is a world leader in offshore and marine engineering, as well as an established brand name in urban development.

Sembcorp Industries has total assets of over S$23 billion and over 7,000 employees. Listed on the main board of the Singapore Exchange, it is a component stock of the Straits Times Index, several MSCI and FTSE indices, as well as the SGX Sustainability Leaders Index and the Dow Jones Sustainability Asia Pacific Index.