A Damaged Power Grid

"A lot of people are optimistic that there's going to be a change of regime. In the current circumstances, it won't have much of an impact on the power sector, whether the political situation improves or not. It would still take years to fix the damage done to the energy sector by the coup."

Guillaume de Langre, a former adviser to the Myanmar Ministry of Electricity and Energy, explains the historical challenges of providing electricity in Myanmar and its impact on the current democratic revolution. In our podcast dicsussion, he discusses how Myanmar's geography and the priorities of the Bamar-dominated government have influenced the history of energy access. The military, focused on extractive industries rather than development, did not prioritize electrification until the early 2000s. Access to electricity, when it finally did come, brought a sense of excitement and optimism, but it also strained the system and led to energy subsidies and price hikes. The coup only further destabilized the energy sector, and restoring power is certainly not a top priority for the military now, and the damage inflicted on the energy sector during the coup will require significant time and effort to repair.

De Langre explains that investments and projects that were already in progress have been halted or abandoned due to the unstable political climate and increased risks. Rebuilding trust among businesses and investors will be a lengthy process, as they need assurance of a stable and supportive environment before committing to long-term projects.

Sadly, even if a change of regime were to occur, de Langre emphasizes that the damage inflicted on the energy sector cannot be easily reversed. The rebuilding process will take years and involve substantial investments, infrastructure development, and establishing new partnerships. This means that the society's lack of access to an electrified life is likely to persist for an extended period, regardless of any political improvements in the short term. The level of damage that this military has done to a generation of Burmese life continues to be uncovered.