The Inn Din coal-fired power plant project in Mon State has been temporarily suspended, Aung Than Oo, deputy minister of Ministry of Electric Power, told Parliament this week.
Mi Myint Than, MP for the Ye Constituency in Mon State, had asked if the project was moving ahead as scheduled.
The deputy minister said the project should not be cancelled altogether.
Periodic public protests have opposed the construction of the plant. In May 2015, an estimated 5,000 people from villages across Ye Township gathered in Inn Din village to protest the project.
The Human Rights Foundation of Mon Land and the Mon Youth Forum have also opposed the project. A petition against the coal plant was sent to the Mon State government and the Myanmar Human Rights Commission.
On June 13, 2015, police arrested 26 opponents of the project, including the Hnit-Kayot village chairman. As news of the arrests spread, a convoy of 350 project opponents went to the police station, with many volunteering to also be arrested for questioning.
The government minister told Parliament the authorities have been told to discuss the implementation of the coal-fired power plant with residents.
He said that the 1,280 MW coal-fired power plant project would use an “ultra super critical system” in line with international standards to reduce pollution and other environmental impacts.
A unit of electricity from the plant would cost between Kyat 100 and 115 with construction lasting about four years, he said.