World Bank to fund Myanmar power plant upgrade

The World Bank is lending Myanmar USD 140 million to upgrade an ageing power plant in southeastern Mon state in a small step toward overcoming the country's chronic electricity shortage.
Myanmar, which exports natural gas to neighbouring Thailand under contracts signed by its former military government, has suffered an energy deficit for years.
The World Bank says the interest free loan will fund a refurbishment of the Thaton gas-fired power plant, increasing its generating capacity by 250 percent.
It is the first World Bank loan to Myanmar since the development lender forgave USD 440 million of unpaid debt in January.

Myanmar only recently emerged from a half-century of military rule and isolation. More than 70 per cent of people are without electricity.