BLOGS

The Myanmar government is optimistic of their endeavour to provide power to more than half the households. Although the country is currently facing repetitive power cuts due to increasing demand, the Ministry of Electricity and Energy has made a statement saying that half the homes would have electricity by the end of 2019.

There are 10.877 million households and 63277 villages in Myanmar. In 2015, only 34pc (3.7 million households) had electricity. Since the ruling National League for Democracy took power in 2015, over 1.75 million additional households were provided electricity.

U Thura Aung Ko, chief engineer at Electricity Supply Enterprise, said 50.9 percent of the country would be connected to the national grid by the end of the year. "Some 5.44 million households constituting 50.9pc of the whole country will be electrified based on the data for December 2019," he said.

"Being able to supply power to 50pc of the nation is a victory for the government and our ministry," he said last week during an event in the administrative capital of Nay Pyi Taw. U Thura Aung Ko said that out of 489 townships across the country, 368 were supplied with power as of last month through the national grid while another 121 townships were supplied through decentralized grid from small-scale hydropower, solar, diesel and rice husk power generators. It provided electricity to 19,430villages across the country.

According to U Thura Aung Ko, the government has spent more than K917 billion ($610.40 million) during the last three and a half years to provide electricity to people across the country and will spend a total of K662.25 billion in 2020 to continue power projects across the country which is rapidly developing. Data from the Ministry of Electricity and energy showed that the average power consumption per person rose from 108 kilowatt per hour in 2010 to 379 kilowatt hour in 2019, which the ministry said is an indication of the rise in the people’s standard of living.