Myanmar Spring Chronicle – April 28 Scenes
MoeMaKa, April 29 2023
The electricity problem in the urban community
Looking back over the past 10 years in Myanmar, the need for electricity supply has gradually improved until the time before the military took over, and more than 900 million of the World Bank’s 2 million loan aid was earmarked for electricity supply related sectors, and was spent on power grid transmission. In those days, even though the cities did not have electricity all the time, they received more than 50 percent of their electricity during certain hours of the day. For rural lighting, there were electric power lines and self-help wiring, and many villages have had the opportunity to use electricity for the first time.
Villages that do not yet have electricity set up electricity committees, and the community collectively paid for the installation of electricity cables and transformers. In addition, there was help from the government’s budget, and each village spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on using electricity. As a result of these activities, some villages have improved to be able tocook food with electricity, and on the other hand, the use of firewood has decreased, which has helped to reduce deforestation in tropical regions and some areas.
These circumstances started to go into recession after the coup, and the rapid decline is noticeable during the hottest time of the summer, when electricity is most needed. It should be said that the availability of electricity in the summer of 2023 has drastically dropped in comparison to the summers of 2021 and 2022.
Why can’t we produce enough electricity, and what is the reason for the significant decline from the existing situation? In one word, it is due to political problems.
In countries around the world, after the start of the Ukraine-Russia war, the prices of fuels such as oil, natural gas, etc. began to rise, causing inflation, rising fuel prices, and an electricity shortage. But in the case of Myanmar, the military coup is the main reason for the significant decrease in Myanmar’s electricity production capacity, and the rest of the data may only be contributing factors.
It can be concluded that the suspension of international development aid after the military coup and the increase in military spending are the main reasons for the decrease in electricity production. Before the military coup, the country’s insufficient production of electricity was made up by purchasing from private companies, but after the military coup, purchases from private power producers were reduced, and state-owned factories producing natural gas also reduced production due to the increase in natural gas prices. It can be concluded that this decrease in production is the main factor in the severe shortage of electricity, and the international economic sanctions and the significant decrease in the inflow of international investment also lead to technical and capital difficulties.
Again, regional armed conflicts, and attacks on power lines and natural gas lines by PDFs may also be included as peripheral factors. A reduction in hydropower generation capacity and climate change may be contributing factors to the existing problem.
During the peak summer heat of this year, many people living in Yangon, Mandalay and other big cities are only able to get electricity for 2-3 hours a day, and even the inverter batteries used in previous summers are now in a situation where it is not convenient to use them.
For family homes to use a solar system, the cost starts at 30 lakhs to 100 lakhs, and most of them cannot afford it. During the hottest time of summer, they can’t even use electric fans, not to mention air coolers, so we’ve heard news of people being admitted to hospitals in Yangon and Mandalay because of heatstroke. Due to the lack of electricity to get relief from severe weather, it is becoming a situation where health deteriorates and lives are lost. If you look at the cause, the political problem of a military coup has already become a situation where the lives of ordinary people are in danger.