No. 4 Steel Plant (Myingyan) of Myanmar Economic Corporation opened

Iron and steel industry being improved to ensure national
development and generate job opportunities for local people
No. 4 Steel Plant (Myingyan) of Myanmar Economic Corporation opened

NAY PYI TAW, 21 March-Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development Council Quartermaster- General General Thiha Thura Tin Aung Myint Oo today attended opening ceremony of No. 4 Steel Plant (Myingyan) of Myanmar Economic Corporation under the Ministry of Defence in Myingyan Township, Mandalay Division. He unveiled the plaque of the newly inaugurated plant.

Also present at the ceremony were Lt-Gen Tha Aye of the Ministry of Defence, Chairman of Mandalay Division PDC Commander of Central Command Maj-Gen Tin Ngwe, ministers, deputy ministers, senior military officers of the Ministry of Defence, departmental heads, service personnel, responsible persons of the No. 4 Steel Plant (Myingyan) and Danieli Co of Italy, social organization members and local residents.

The Secretary-1 in his address said since its assumption of State duties, the Tatmadaw has been taking all necessary measures for smooth transition to democracy and market economy.

For a country, peace and development are necessary for democratic process and the market economy. So, the SPDC gives top priority to peace and stability. It has been c o n s t r u c t i n g infrastructural buildings across the nation for national development such as roads, bridges, dams, factories, health care centres and educational institutions.

In the process, cement and steel are major inputs. So, the government has been building cement plants and iron and steel industries complexes. No. (4) Steel Plant (Myingyan) will take the centre stage of the iron and steel industry by manufacturing steel billets and slabs for other plants.

Here, I would like to present a brief account of the historical background of Myanmar’s iron and steel industry.

Ywama Steel Plant in Insein Township, Yangon Division, is the first of its kind in Myanmar. It was built in 1955 according to the principle adopted at 1946 Sorrento Villa Conference in the preindependence period. In 1956, it started production of deformed bars, round bars, barbed wire, and nails.

Another iron and steel plant was built in Anisakhan, PyinOoLwin Township, in 1979. The pilot plant produced raw materials for production of steel billets and industrial ironware.

The annual output of Ywama and PyinOoLwin steel plants ranged from 5000 to 10,000 tons.

With the concept that only with iron and steel industries complex will the nation develop, the government made sustained efforts.

In order to set up an iron and steel industries complex, No. (1) Steel Plant was established in K y a u k s w e k y o , Aunglan Township, Bago Division, in 1996.

In 1999, it began its production line at the annual production rate of 150,000 to 200,000 tons. No. (2) Steel Plant (Myaungdagar) in Hmawby Township, Yangon Division, was built in 1997, and commissioned in 1999. It produces 150,000 tons of steel slabs and 12,000 tons of fabrication parts a year. Now, follow-up programmes are in progress to boost its production to 30,000 tons. However, we still had to import steel billets and slabs as raw materials for the plants. No. (4) Steel Plant (Myingyan) and No. (5) Steel Plant (Pinpet) are designed to produce billets and slabs for other plants.

In order to get steel raw material before No. (5) Steel Plant (Pinpet) starts its production line of pig iron from iron ore, ship dismantling workshop (Thilawa) was built in 2000. It was operated in 2002.

Myanmar has three rich iron deposits. The first deposit is in P y i n O o L w i n (Kyadwinyay) and it holds about three million tons of iron ore. The second deposit is in Pinpet on the border between Taunggyi and Hopong townships, and it holds about 70 million tons of iron ore. The third is in K a t h a i n g t a u n g , Phakant Township, and according to the estimation, it holds about 230 million tons of iron ore.

Regarding the iron and steel industries complex under construction, pig iron from No. (5) Steel Plant (Pinpet) and scraps from the ship dismantling workshop (Thilawa) will be sent to No. (4) Steel Plant (Myingyan). No. (5) Steel Plant (Pinpet) has a target of 200,000 tons of pig iron a year. Ship dismantling workshop (Thilawa) will produce 50,000 tons of iron scraps a year.

The iron ore in Pinpet is of two types: hematite and lemonite. According to the size of the plant, iron ore can be exploited from the deposit for about 150 years. Pig iron will be produced from iron ore with the romelt process of the Russian Federation. A coal mine is in-operation in old Wanhok Village in Kehsi Mahsam Township. It holds about 37 million tons of coal, from which Pinpet Plant can get coal for 75 years.

No. (4) Steel Plant (Myingyan) produces steel billets for No. (1) Steel Plant (Kyaukswekyo), and steel slabs for No. (2) Steel Plant (Myaungdagar).

No. (1) Steel Plant (Kyaukswekyo) will also get billets from No. (4) Steel Plant (Myingyan) and No. (3) Steel Plant (Ywama), and will produce deformed bars, round bars, wire coils
and angle iron.

No. (2) Steel Plant (Myaungdagar) will produce various sizes of billets for shipbuilding, apart from steel plates, H beams, I beams, girders, and trusses.

No. (3) Steel Plant (Ywama) has boosted its annual iron production rate from less than 10,000 to 50,000 tons. It mainly produces 12-meter billets, and produces barbed wire, binding
wire, nails, sieves and chain links, oxygen, argon and nitrogen. The plant is in the process of being upgraded to produce high tensile steel bolts and nuts.

No. (4) Steel Plant (Myingyan) is to be upgraded to produce different sizes of hot roll sheets, cold roll sheets, colour sheets, and corrugated zinc sheets. It also has a plan to boost annual production of goods from 200,000 to 400,000 tons after production of pig iron from iron ore from the deposit of Kathaing mountain.

The plants will be linked with railroads for easy transport.

In conclusion, he said that all the steel plants operate as an iron and steel industries complex to produce finished products in combination for bridge and building projects. The iron and steel industry is being improved to ensure national development and generate job opportunities for local people.

The rapid development of the iron and steel sector is due to the establishment of iron and steel industries complex.

The Myanmar Economic Corporation under the Ministry of Defence is working hard to fulfil the requirement of iron and steel of the nation.

The commander, Minister for Mines Brig- Gen Ohn Myint and responsible persons formally opened the plant.

Next, the Secretary-1 cordially greeted the attendees. He then unveiled the plaque of the plant.

At the meeting room of the plant, the acting managing director of Myanmar Economic Corporation elaborated on construction of the plant, production of steel ware, buildings in the plant compound, installed machines, and organization set-up to the Secretary-1.

The Secretary-1 and the acting managing director presented commemorative gifts to Mr Mareschi Danieli Giacomo of Danieli Co.

The Secretary-1 later looked around the plant. He put his signature to first billet manufactured from the plant and so did Lt-Gen Tha Aye, the commander, the minister and officials.

The secretary-1 and party had documentary photo taken.

The Secretary-1 gave away gifts to foreign engineers who are discharging at the plant.

No. 4 Steel Plant (Myingyan) is located near Sakha Village, Myingyan Township, Mandalay Division.

The plant was constructed on 16 May 2005 to manufacture 0.2 million tons of steel billets and slabs per year which is main raw materials of steel rolling mills and steel plate mills undertaken by Myanmar Economic Corporation. Now, the plant is running at full capacity.

The plant is outfitted with scrap yard equipment, 60-ton Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) which can manufacture 900 tons of steel, 60-ton Ladle Furnace (LF), 60-ton Vaccum Degasser (VD), continues casting machine which can cast 1936 tons of steel billets per day, Thin Slab Caster (TSC) which can produce two to five million steel slabs per year, fume treatment plant, air seperation plant that can produce oxygen, nitrogen and argon gases, compressed air plant, steam boiler plant, natural gas station, lime plant, material handling system, 15 electric overhead travelling cranes, sub power station, maintenance workshop, and a laboratory.

Moreover, guesthouse, staff quarters, market, main office, security gate, mess hall, store shops, cargrage, outside car parking, canteen, and technological high school have also been constructed for employee convenience.

The plant is bound to manufacture two million steel billets and 50,000 steel slabs per year.

The Secretary-1 and party arrived Ayeyawady Bridge (Pakokku) Construction Project on Letpanchepaw bank in NyaungU Township at 1.15 pm. They were welcomed by Deputy Minister for Construction Brig- Gen Myint Thein, Chairman of Magway Division Peace and Development Council Col Phone Maw Shwe, Col Mya Tun Oo of Pakokku station and departmental officials.

Minister for Construction Maj-Gen Khin Maung Myint reported the Secretary-1 on the progress in construction of the project carried out by Special Project Construction Group (3) of
Public Works of the ministry, implementation of the project simultaneously on Letpanchepaw bank, Yelaykyun and Pakokku bank to complete the construction on schedule, facts about the bridge and 15 per cent completion of the project implemented since 15 December 2009.

Commander Maj- Gen Tin Ngwe submitted report on situation of environs of the bridge and Lt-Gen Tha Aye presented supplementary report. Minister for Rail Transportation Maj-Gen Aung Min explained the construction of approach railroad, situations of railroad of Ayeyawady Bridge (Malun), and emergence of railroad network upon completion of three strategic railroads.

The Secretary-1 called for meeting set standard and carrying out constant waterway surveillance.

The State is implementing five bridge projects over Ayayawady River in 2009-2010 fiscal year. Among them, Sinkhan, Pakokku, Malun and Nyaungdon bridges are rail-cum-road ones.

Yadana Theingha Bridge is the only motor road one. On completion of the projects, the number of Ayeyawady River spanning bridge will reach 13.

Upon completion, Ayeyawady Bridge (Pakokku) will become the longest one in Myanmar with its length of 21,886 feet.

The Secretary-1 and party arrived back here by helicopters at 4 pm.

http://www.myanmar.com/newspaper/nlm/index.html

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