Concern grows over impact of UWSA-owned coal plant in eastern Shan State

A coal-fired power plant that began operating in eastern Shan State’s Mong Hsat Township late last year has been harming local communities and the environment, according to the Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF). Owned by the United Wa State Army (UWSA), the plant supplies electricity to the group’s camps and businesses. It is located on the Kok River near Wan Huong, a village about six miles south of the town of Mong Hsat that previously served as the UWSA’s southern headquarters. Coal for the plant is extracted from a mine near the village of Nar Par Kaw in Mongton Township, more than 21 miles southwest of Wan Huong, and is hauled to the facility by truck around the clock. Wan Hong Natural Energy, a company owned by the UWSA, operates the plant, while the coal mine is guarded by the Wa army, SHRF spokesperson Ying Leng Harn told Myanmar Now. She said the coal-fired power plant has brought more harm than good to local communities due to its environmental impact. “Residents have begun suffering from skin irritation linked to the coal mine, and fish are dying. If conditions deteriorate and the creek becomes unusable, it could threaten both the local water supply and farmland,” she said. She added that the environmental risks are worrying, since it is unknown how the Wa army manages the plant’s waste. Coal from the Nar Par Kaw mine supplies the new power plant in Mong Hsat Township (Photo: SHRF) Because the Kok River runs from Mong Hsat Township into Thailand, pollution from the plant will likely have adverse impacts there as well, she said. The power plant sits roughly 12 miles from the border, near Mae Fah Luang in Thailand’s Chiang Rai Province. “It affects Thailand as well. The Kok River’s water quality, already damaged by rare-earth mining, is likely to deteriorate further because of the coal power plant,” she said. Pointing to the social and economic harm caused by the Tigyit coal-fired plant in southern Shan State’s Pinlaung Township, she urged the UWSA to implement measures to reduce environmental damage. The group’s spokesperson Nyi Rang has not responded to Myanmar Now’s requests for comment on the issue, which was highlighted in a recent update by the SHRF. The SHRF warned that emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter from the coal-fired plant could lead to respiratory and other health problems for local residents. Additionally, the plant could trigger acid rain, posing a risk to farmland within a 50-mile radius, and villagers in Wan Huong say they can smell coal from the plant whenever they go outdoors. In May 2020, prior to the coup, government officials visited the plant, which was then expected to generate 30 megawatts of electricity for the border town of Tachileik. To date, however, the town has yet to receive power from the plant.

Concern grows over impact of UWSA-owned coal plant in eastern Shan State

The newly opened plant is already harming local communities and the environment, according to the Shan Human Rights Foundation

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