Access to energy to pave the way for Myanmar’s development

20 March 2017

According to the recent AIDF infographic on infrastructure resilience and access to energy in Southeast Asia, nearly 2 out of 10 people do not have access to electricity in the region. The lowest access to energy across the Southeast Asia region is in Myanmar, where almost 69% of people live in the dark. The percentage without electricity connection rises to 84% in rural areas of Burma. Lack of electricity stalls development and holds Myanmar back from the ability to expand businesses and create jobs.

Tackling electricity problems in Myanmar is the main aim of the World Bank-supported National Electrification Project, which aims to achieve universal access to electricity by 2030. The first international competitive bidding to supply and install approximately 140,000 solar home systems was open since May 2016 at the Department of Rural Development of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation. The project will bring electricity to over 7.2 million people by 2030 and mobilise country’s further economic and social development. The decreasing cost of renewable energy could also enable the local production and link more rural areas to the power grid.

The infographic was created in time for the 3rd annual Aid & Development Asia Summit. To download the infographic, click here.

Over 2.9 billion people are using biomass fuels in rural areas of Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Eastern Asia. With electricity demand projected to increase by 83% in 2035, many Southeast Asian countries have no other option but to rely on fossil fuels. While coal is the largest energy source in the region, the Government of Myanmar is looking to increase share of renewable energy sources at the cost of coal in order to attract foreign investment.

Dr Tin Htut, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation (MOAI) will give an opening keynote speech at the 3rd annual Aid & Development Asia Summit taking place on 14 & 15 of June 2017 in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar.

Hear more about infrastructure resilience and energy from international and regional experts, including Peter Batchelor, Country Director, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Esther Perry, First Secretary, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Masakazu Ichimura, Head, CASPA, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP), Aung Myint, Secretary General, Renewable Energy Association Myanmar (REAM) and Ernesto Castro-Garcia, Director of Regional Programs, Habitat for Humanity. To view detailed agenda, please visit http://asia.aidforum.org

Join 250+ senior representatives from government and UN agencies, NGOs, development banks, donors and the private sector to discuss innovations, technologies and policies for improving rural livelihoods and supporting rural infrastructure in Southeast Asia. To register your participation, click here