Myanmar regime imposes electricity rationing amid severe shortages

A recent scene of downtown Yangon at night (Photo: Ko Kan Kaung / Myanmar Now) Myanmar’s military junta has begun rationing electricity across the country, with rolling blackouts expected to continue until next year’s rainy season, according to state media reports and statements from local electricity departments. Junta-controlled newspapers, which announced the move on Monday, said that it would go into effect immediately. Social media posts by several township-level electricity departments indicated that power would be available for a total of 12 hours a day, on a rotating six hours on, six hours off basis. Residents in Yangon and Mandalay said the outages have already been severe. A woman living in Mandalay’s Chanmyathazi Township told Myanmar Now that power cuts have become more frequent since the start of the month, with her household receiving as little as four hours of electricity on some days. “On very hot nights when we don’t get any electricity all night, all I can do is curse repeatedly,” she said. “It’s really frustrating.” Residents said the shortages have affected cooking and household expenses, with the cost of gas and charcoal rising as people increasingly turn to alternative sources of energy. A man in his 40s from North Dagon Township in Yangon said prolonged outages were especially hard on older people during periods of extreme heat. “Right now, it gets hot by 9am, so the elderly really suffer,” he said. “Without electricity, even people with enough money to buy air conditioners can’t use them because of the power cuts.” Meanwhile, solar power systems have also gotten more expensive, putting them beyond reach for many, he added. The electricity shortages have also raised questions about differences in power availability between ordinary residential areas and sites associated with junta authorities. Visitors to Naypyitaw’s Maravijaya Buddha image, revered by the generals, said the site remains fully illuminated despite electricity restrictions affecting the general public. The homes of former dictator Than Shwe and other senior members of his regime also have uninterrupted access to electricity, according to residents of the junta’s capital. A resident of Pyin Oo Lwin, another junta stronghold, said military housing compounds in the town centre have continued to receive electricity without the outages experienced elsewhere. Myanmar has faced persistent power shortages in recent years, with declining electricity generation and conflicted-related damage to infrastructure and security disruptions affecting the power sector.