Sittwe oxygen plant expected to start operations soon

11 Aug 2021

DMG Newsroom
11 August 2021, Sittwe

An oxygen plant built by a businessman in the Arakan State capital Sittwe is currently undergoing testing and will reportedly be able to start producing oxygen in the coming days.

U Tun Tun Oo, who is leading the effort and is owner of the BMG drinking water factory, said the equipment needed for the oxygen plant was purchased from China in July and was installed upon arrival in Sittwe.

“When the oxygen machine arrived yesterday, I put the machine in place. We also tested the machine in the afternoon. I’ve been trying to run the machine yesterday and today. We plan to start operations tomorrow or the next day,” he told DMG.

The oxygen generated will be donated to the needy and sold to businesses at a reasonable price, he added.

U Tun Tun Oo said oxygen would be provided to hospitals free of charge if the plant is notified of an urgent need for oxygen.

Severe cases of Covid-19, a respiratory disease, are often treated with oxygen therapy, and O2 demand has outpaced supply for much of the pandemic’s ongoing third wave, which began in late May.

“If business people use it for business, they can buy oxygen from us. As for charity, we will sell it at a reasonable price, either through donations or something. If there is a real problem, oxygen will be provided free of charge,” he added.

The businessman said he planned to sell oxygen to private operators at a reasonable price, as there would be difficulties in paying the staff hired to run the plant.

If the plant operates 24 hours a day, it will be able to refill between 70 and 80 40-litre oxygen cylinders per day.

In commemoration of the opening of the BMG-owned oxygen plant, 50 oximeters will be donated to those in need.

Due to the spike in Covid-19 infections in Arakan State over the past two months, donations are being collected to build oxygen plants in almost every township in the state on a self-reliant basis.

During the third wave of Covid-19, a total of 3,343 infections and 309 deaths had been reported in Arakan State as of August 10, according to the state’s Department of Public Health.