Myanmar junta calls for increased installation of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels

At the first meeting of the Energy and Electricity Development Commission this week, President Tin Aung San called for solar panels to be installed during building construction as power shortages plague Myanmar.

According to junta media, the admiral intends to require developers to install panels on all new buildings and “supply surplus electricity to the national grid.”

The deputy prime minister did not say whether the rules would apply to both commercial and residential buildings.
He called for wider use of renewable energy, such as solar, to reduce the country’s reliance on hydropower and liquefied natural gas (LNG) to generate electricity.

Tin Aung San said junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has ordered a rapid increase in solar projects and the construction of low-head dams on the Irrawaddy River for hydroelectric power generation.

Aung Pyae Sone, the junta chief’s son, has obtained licenses to sell solar panels and equipment, while the regime has granted tax breaks on solar imports.

Blackouts in Myanmar have doubled in length since the regime formed the electricity commission in mid-December to “accelerate the development of the energy sector.”

Yangon’s 7 million people typically have electricity in two four-hour chunks a day and often less.

The junta has blamed the blackouts on attacks on major power lines and plants, a decline in natural gas production, pipeline repairs and natural disasters.

Tin Aung San told the meeting that his commission is working to generate electricity from LNG power plants to boost supplies.

However, no specific timeline was given for when those plants will be able to supply electricity.

The Irrawaddy