YANGON, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar has been implementing a five- year short-term electric power plan, which began in 2003, to generate 2,000 more megawatts (mw) in a bid to meet its domestic power demand and bring about socio-economic progress.

The package of giant electric power projects under implementation include 11 for national power grid and three for regional use, said the Ministry of Electric Power Thursday.

Of the 11 projects, the 75-mw Mone creek hydropower plant in Magway division was inaugurated on Wednesday. Two out of the rest, which are the 280-mw Paunglaung hydropower project in Mandalay division and the 120-mw coal-fired power project in Shan state, are also nearing completion to be put into operation, said the ministry.

Meanwhile, under a 30-year electric power development strategy, 18 other new major electric power projects for power grid with a total installed capacity of 14,880 are to be implemented in the future.

For regional use, 13 new hydropower projects to be implemented under the strategy are of a total capacity of 342 mw.

According to official statistics, since 1988, 34 power plants, including 28 hydropower and six gas-fired power ones, have so far been built, adding over 560 mw of the capacity and reaching over 1, 300 mw now.

However, power consumption of the country has been growing by 15 percent annually with Yangon alone requiring 450 mw at present, up from 130 mw in 15 years ago.

With the growing domestic demand due to economic development and rise in living standard, the existing power generating capacity in the country is viewed as being far from meeting the demand.