Dawei special economic zone project in Myanmar planned to be 10 times larger

The Dawei special economic zone project in Myanmar is now planned to be 10 times larger than earlier designed, said a high-level Thai official on Tuesday.

Paramethee Wimolsiri, secretary general of Thailand's National Economic and Social Development Board, said a joint high-level committee meeting between Japan, Myanmar and Thailand has agreed to expand the Dawei project now that Japan is investing in it.

Myanmar's special economic zone project will be run to the "full-fledged" extent or 10 times as large compared to its initial plan but no details will be discussed between the two Southeast Asian neighbors and Japan until after a post-election government has been set up in Naypyidaw early next year, according to the NESDB chief.

"For instance, the whole area of the Dawei project will be expanded from 27 square kilometers to 270 square kilometers in a full-fledged scale with a large-sized industrial estate, a large-sized power plant, a deep-sea port and a four-lane road, among others," he said.

The Dawei project, earlier estimated to cost more than 8 billion U.S. dollars, will be implemented as a "special-purpose vehicle" with planned contributions from Tokyo.

Located on the Andaman Sea coast about 300 kilometers northwest of Bangkok, it had been initially implemented by Italian-Thai Development Co, one of Thailand's biggest contractors, only to leave it undone largely due to lack of investment capital since the last few years.