Myanmar is one of the poorest countries in East Asia with a GDP per capita of US$900 and poverty incidence estimated at 26 percent in 2012. Myanmar is also one of the most diverse countries in East Asia, with ethnic minorities making up approximately 30 percent of the population. The country is undergoing a process of profound transformation with significant implications also in terms of local governance structures at township and village level. Lack of access to and the poor state of existing infrastructure are major impediments for the provision of basic health and education services, and for economic development. About 75 percent of the population has no access to electricity, and the consumption of electricity (about 160 kilowatt hours per capita) is one of the lowest in the world – twenty times less than the world average.
A Poverty and Social Impacts Analysis (PSIA) was undertaken as part of the development of the National Electrification Plan (NEP) for Myanmar, which aims to improve access to electricity nation-wide. The PSIA was intended primarily to collect information and provide advice on how to: ensure that poor and marginalized groups and areas can benefit equitably from the expansion of electricity services (assessing key barriers to access and recommending potential solutions to address these, and (ii) to protect poor and marginalized groups (including ethnic minority groups) for possible changes in tariffs as the NEP rolls-out.
Discussion » PSIA of the Month (April/May 2016)
PSIA of the Month (April/May 2016)
Key Barriers to Accessing Electricity in Myanmar
Myanmar is one of the poorest countries in East Asia with a GDP per capita of US$900 and poverty incidence estimated at 26 percent in 2012. Myanmar is also one of the most diverse countries in East Asia, with ethnic minorities making up approximately 30 percent of the population. The country is undergoing a process of profound transformation with significant implications also in terms of local governance structures at township and village level. Lack of access to and the poor state of existing infrastructure are major impediments for the provision of basic health and education services, and for economic development. About 75 percent of the population has no access to electricity, and the consumption of electricity (about 160 kilowatt hours per capita) is one of the lowest in the world – twenty times less than the world average.
A Poverty and Social Impacts Analysis (PSIA) was undertaken as part of the development of the National Electrification Plan (NEP) for Myanmar, which aims to improve access to electricity nation-wide. The PSIA was intended primarily to collect information and provide advice on how to: ensure that poor and marginalized groups and areas can benefit equitably from the expansion of electricity services (assessing key barriers to access and recommending potential solutions to address these, and (ii) to protect poor and marginalized groups (including ethnic minority groups) for possible changes in tariffs as the NEP rolls-out.
The final report is attached. All other resources are available here: https://energypedia.info/wiki/Achieving_Universal_Access_to_Electricity_in_Myanmar