We have been of the opinion that electricity is an important as ICTs in putting money in people’s pockets and hope in their hearts. We have worked on how to improve electricity service and continue to work on different aspects of what is a multi-faceted problem.
We would love to work on electricity in Myanmar. They sure need help.
Unfortunately, Phyo Min Thein’s party, the National League for Democracy, has failed to deliver. It has not added any new installed capacity. Industry remains as confused as ever about its intentions: One minute the government is talking about liquefied natural gas, the next coal-fired plants are back on the table.
Unwieldy regulations, bureaucracy, corruption and indecisiveness have made it all but impossible to secure much-needed foreign investment. Prices remain ridiculously low, leaving little money to invest in new infrastructure.
The NLD-backed government needs to make some significant changes to how it approaches the electricity issue. That means communicating a strategy on everything from the fuel mix to raising prices. It means expediting the process for investment. It means developing a feed-in tariff, regulations for off-grid power and grid expansion map. Investors are there to fill in the blanks.
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