Last summer, the Yangon area of the country was subjected to power cuts of up to six hours a day.

Now the government has contracted Finnish technology group Wärtsilä to deliver equipment for two power plants which are expected to be operational within months.

Each plant will feature eight Wärtsilä gas engines running on liquefied natural gas, delivering a combined output of 146 MW – which will contribute more than five per cent of Myanmar’s capacity. The equipment will be by the end of this month.

The projects will be owned by a consortium of China National Technical Import and Export Corporation (CNTIC) and VPower Group, Myanmar’s largest gas-fired engine power plant owner and operator.

Last year, Wärtsilä built a 145 MW gas engine plant in the Mandalay region of Myanmar.