Myanmar is drafting a national energy policy which meets international standard to guide for its development of energy and electrical sectors.
Comprehensive suggestions from development partnership organizations and experts are welcomed for the draft.
The move is a follow-up of the establishment of a 13-member ministerial-level National Energy Management Committee tasked to formulate national energy policy, coordinate with Privatization Commission and Myanmar Investment Commission for changing the ratio between state-owned and private-owned sectors through privatization, fulfill the requirement for development of electric sector by laying down short-and long-term plans and invite foreign and domestic investments in energy development, among others.
Myanmar Vice President U Nyan Tun clarified that socio-economic development of the country cannot achieve success as expected not because of the lack of reliable energy supply triggered by shortage of investment in power sector and inadequate infrastructure and human resources necessary to utilize sustainable energy resources but because of limitation on investment in renewable energy sector.
Development of new technology for electrical and electronic appliances and power-generating facilities requires sustainable investment, energy conservation measures and cost-effectiveness energy saving, he told the committee.
He stressed the need to take effective measures based on technology inspection report while ensuring energy sufficiency for a short period of time and electrification process.
He also emphasized the need to use effective laws and electricity purchase agreements meeting international norms in the private sector of electricity generating.
A recent study by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) shows that while per capita energy consumption of electricity in Myanmar remains one of the lowest in Asia (electrification rate is only around 26 percent), the overall energy consumption in Myanmar increased by an average of 2.4 percent annually between 2000 and 2009.
Two thirds of the electrical energy in Myanmar is based on hydropower.
Meanwhile, Myanmar authorities have since 2012 allowed private entrepreneurs to engage in power production as independent producers on a manageable scale as part of its bid to help ease power shortage in the country.
According to official statistics, power sector is leading in foreign investment with 19.237 billion U.S. dollars, accounting for about 45 percent of the total as of July 2013 since 1988 when the country started to open to such investment.
Myanmar produced up to 10.964 billion kilowatt hours of electricity in 2012-13 but the demand is still not met.
Due to the high demand, the government is striving to produce electricity from natural gas, diesel, coal fire, solar power, wind power, biogas and waste fuel in addition to hydropower.
source: Mizzima
http://www.mizzima.com/opinion/analysis/item/10479-myanmar-drafts-policy-for-energy-power-development
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