Myanmar has been a focus for serious Bad News for decades, and is by no means over its legacy of racist oppression. But they are making progress, now that they can. They had one solar installation last year, and none for wind, but those days are over.
Myanmar launches 1 GW solar tender — PV Magazine
The country’s Ministry of Electricity and Energy is seeking proposals for 30 large-scale solar plants. The selected developers will be awarded 20-year power purchase agreements.
Myanmar’s Ministry of Electricity and Energy (MOEE) has issued an invitation for PV developers to submit prequalifying bids for the construction of several solar plants throughout the country, with a combined capacity of 1 GW.
The document, which was published on the MOEE’s Facebook page, states that the selected independent power producers will be awarded 20-year power purchase agreements. Overall, 30 solar facilities with capacities ranging from 30 MW to 40 MW are expected to be built through the tender.
Prospective developers will have until June 18 to submit their proposals.
According to the latest statistics from the International Renewable Energy Agency, Myanmar had cumulatively installed 88 MW of PV capacity by the end of 2019. Most of that capacity came from a 50 MW solar plant that was completed last July.
Off-grid solar already plays a key role in Myanmar’s electrification strategy. A number of rooftop PV arrays and minigrid projects having already been developed in rural parts of the country. However, the utility-scale solar segment has also started to take off.
This one initiative, then, proposes to multiply utility-scale solar by a factor of 20. 2000% if you like your numbers puffed up, because reality isn't sufficiently impressive.
Solar power in Myanmar
Solar power in Myanmar has the potential to generate 51,973.8 TWh/year, with an average of over 5 sun hours per day. Even though most electricity is produced from hydropower in Myanmar, the country has rich technical solar power potential that is the highest in the Greater Mekong Subregion; however, in terms of installed capacity Myanmar lags largely behind Thailand and Vietnam.[1]
The country aims to generate 8% of electricity through renewable energy sources—through wind and solar energy—by 2021 and 12% by 2025.[2] In general, foreign direct investment in renewable energy in Myanmar was very limited during the period of 2012-2018.[3]
In rural areas, photovoltaics are used for charging batteries and pumping water.[4] 70% of the Burmese population of 50 million live in rural areas.[5]
Myanmar's opened its first solar power plant in Minbu, Magway Division, in November 2018.[6] The plant will produce 40 megawatts (MW) of electricity in its first phase of operations and will produce 170 MW once fully operational.
Energy in Myanmar
Myanmar had a total primary energy supply (TPES) of 16.57 Mtoe in 2013.[1] Electricity consumption was 8.71 TWh.[1] 65% of the primary energy supply consists of biomass energy, used almost exclusively (97%) in the residential sector.[1] Myanmar’s energy consumption per capita is one of the lowest in Southeast Asia due to the low electrification rate and a widespread poverty. An estimated 65% of the population is not connected to the national grid.[2] Energy consumption is growing rapidly, however, with an average annual growth rate of 3.3% from 2000 to 2007.[3]
Most of Myanmar's electricity (74.7%) is produced by hydroelectricity. The rest is from fossil fuels, with gas as the main fuel (20.5%) followed by coal and oil.[1] In 2017, Myanmar had an installed electricity generation capacity of about 5 gigawatts (GW).[4] The country plans to achieve 100% electrification by 2030.[5][6] The country is targeting 12% of all electricity to be generated from renewable sources by 2025.[7]
The electrification rate in Myanmar is one of the lowest in Asia, at 57% in 2016.[8] The electrification rate is especially low in rural villages, which are mainly not connected to the power grid. Wood and biomass are used as a primary source of energy in these areas.[9]
Myanmar has abundant energy resources, particularly hydropower and natural gas.[10] In 2013, Myanmar exported 8561 ktoe of natural gas and 144 ktoe of crude oil.[1] The country is one of the five major energy exporters in the region[10] and is the second biggest exporter of natural gas in the Asia Pacific region after Indonesia.[11] According to the World Energy Council, gas reserves are estimated at 244 Mtoe. Oil and coal play a smaller role with reserves estimated at 7 and 1 Mtoe, respectively.[12]
The energy sector is considered a strategic industry by the Myanmar government and the petroleum sector is one of the biggest recipients of foreign direct investment.[13]
A nation of some 55 million and growing as of a 2014 census, just 42% of Myanmar households had access to electricity ,
according to the first, June 2019 nationwide assessment of distributed energy market potential in Myanmar, which was produced by Smart Power Myanmar, a national platform with a mandate to advance a modern energy ecosystem in the country.
New market analysis shows high potential for sustainable, successful mini-grid solutions for electrifying Myanmar — Pactworld
As part of ongoing efforts to bring electricity to every household and business in Myanmar, Smart Power Myanmar, a national platform with a mandate to advance a modern energy ecosystem in country, today released a comprehensive Market Assessment that for the first time sheds light on the potential for distributed energy solutions in Myanmar, and helps identify key recommendations for investors, developers, development agencies and policymakers to accelerate access to energy and the means to use it productively.
Smart Power Myanmar’s Decentralized Energy Market Assessment demonstrates that solutions such as mini-grids can play a crucial role to bring reliable power to off-grid households and businesses in Myanmar while grid electrification progresses. Mini-grids are in many cases cheaper and faster than grid electrification and, unlike solar home systems, can be integrated into the main grid and have the capacity to supply businesses and larger commercial loads such as telecoms towers. This means mini-grids can also play a key role in Myanmar’s socio-economic development, including boosting business activity, incomes, living standards, utilization of public infrastructure, and yield health, education and environmental benefits.
However, the market assessment notes, current mini-grid deployment is not commercially viable without financial support. The report recommends five key measures that when combined could trigger in the short term a potential market of up to 2,300 mini-grids covering approximately 2 million people:
Myanmar: Solar Investment Opportunities - SolarPower Europe
Myanmar is one of the most poorly electrified countries in Southeast Asia, with an average electrification rate of 39% at the end of 2017. According to the Germanwatch Global Climate Risk Index, Myanmar was also one of the countries that was most affected by extreme weather events in the years between 1997 and 2016. The country would therefore benefit from decentralized power generation solutions, like solar.
Jul 28, 2019 — Myanmar’s launch of its first commercial solar plant last month is a step in the right direction for a country that has yet to provide more than half of its citizens with proper access to electricity.
Constructed on over 836 acres of land, an area equivalent to almost 530 football fields, the Minbu Solar Power Plant will be ASEAN’s largest solar power plant according to Thailand’s META Corporation – the project’s contractor and developer.
Although the project has been hailed as ground-breaking, there is still a long way to go before Myanmar achieves its goal of 100 percent electrification by 2030.
According to recent estimates by the World Bank, energy consumption will grow at an average annual rate of 11 percent until 2030. In a report published last month titled ‘Myanmar Economic Monitor: Building Reform Momentum’, the World Bank predicted that peak demand is expected to reach 8.6 GW by 2025 and 12.6 GW by 2030, which is a significant increase from current levels.
Tellingly, the World Bank notes that Myanmar needs to invest twice as much – up to US$2 billion annually – and implement projects three times faster if it is to address its rapidly growing electricity demand.
Myanmar’s economic growth is expected to rise to 6.5 percent in the 2018-19 fiscal year due to strong performance in its industrial and services sectors – and the lack of electricity is a huge turn-off for any investor.
30 April 2019
Ever since Myanmar undertook a series of political, economic and administrative reforms in 2011, the country’s economy has steadily improved. According to data from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Myanmar is enjoying some of the highest growth rates in the region. The ADB predicts that the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) will grow by eight percent, higher than any other country in Southeast Asia.
According to the Ministry of Electricity and Energy, energy demand is expected to increase at 15 percent annually, double that of the forecasted economic growth. Meanwhile, the Japanese International Co-operation Agency (JICA) – Myanmar’s largest source of official development assistance (ODA) – is expecting demand for electricity to multiply fivefold to 15 gigawatts (GW) by 2030.
Renewable energy snapshot: Myanmar | Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright
The Myanmar Energy Master Plan, published in January 2016, makes projections of the long-term energy demand and fuel supply mix up to the year 2030. The plan anticipates that the share of solar and wind in the total energy mix by 2030 will be around 1.2 per cent. More recently, the Ministry of Electricity and Energy has introduced ambitious renewable energy targets that aim to increase the share of renewables in electricity production to 8 per cent by 2021 and to 12 per cent by 2025.
Myanmar’s National Electrification Programme 2015 (NEP) aims to connect all Myanmar households to a supply of electricity by 2030. As at 2017, Myanmar’s electrification rate was 39 per cent. The NEP targets an electrification rate of 50 per cent by 2020, 75 per cent by 2025 and 100 per cent by 2030.
The NEP comprises a grid extension programme and an off-grid programme. In the short- to medium-term, off-grid solar home systems and mini-grid solar / solar/hybrid projects aim to connect households in remote locations where the costs of grid access are prohibitively expensive.
A SWOT Analysis of Utility-Scale Solar in Myanmar — MDPI (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute)
MDPI is an open-access research journal publisher.
Feb 17, 2020 — Myanmar remains one of the few exceptions to the rapid diffusion of solar photovoltaics (PV) in power generation mixes. This is surprising considering that Myanmar is one of the countries with the largest technical potential for solar energy among Southeast Asian nations. Solar energy can complement the existing hydropower generation to address endemic energy crisis during the dry season. A continuation of paralysis on investments in solar energy could affect the security and sustainability of the sector in one of the most rapidly growing countries in the region. In this paper, we aimed to identify the barriers preventing solar energy to flourish in Myanmar and to identify policy options to unlock them. We conducted a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis with inputs from relevant stakeholders from the government, private sector, and civil society organizations. Our analysis suggested a consensus on the merits of solar energy among all factors; however, a policy framework to spur investments that contribute both to the national energy system and local development needs to be developed by considering some particularities of Myanmar, such as securing rightful land ownership and limited experience with market mechanisms (e.g., energy auction), for the promotion of investments in the energy sector.
(PDF) Solar Energy Potential and Applications in Myanmar — Researchgate
Energy consumption is one of the indices in determining the levels of development of a nation. Therefore, availability of energy supply to all sectors of life in any country is crucial for its development. These exists shortage of all kinds of energy, particularly electricity which is badly needed for economic development. Electricity from the sun which is quite abundant in most of the developing countries is used in rural areas to meet basic electricity needs of a rural community. Today's electricity supply in Myanmar is generated by fuel generators and hydroelectric power plants. However, far-flung areas which are away from National Grids cannot enjoy the electricity generated by these sources. Since Myanmar is a land of plentiful sunshine, especially in central and southern regions of the country, the first form of energy-solar energy could hopefully become the final solution to its energy supply problem. The direct conversion of solar energy into electricity using photovoltaic system has been receiving intensive installation not only in developed countries but also in developing countries. It is mainly intended to present solar energy potential and application in Myanmar. It is also wanted to get the benefits of using solar energy for people in remote areas which are not yet connected to the national grids because of the high price of fossil fuel.
Status of Solar Energy Potential, Development and Application in Myanmar — Semantic Scholar
Myanmar has abundant renewable energy resources through the country. Among the renewable energy available, the potential of solar energy is one of the great interests in Myanmar. The government of Myanmar has set a plan to electrify the whole county in 2030. On the other hand, ASEAN has a target that is to increase 23% of Renewable Energy in ASEAN generation mix by 2025. For the time being,Myanmar has mainly relied on hydropower system for the electricity generation. Due to lack of water in summer season in Myanmar, Solar Energy will be a vital role in Electricity generation because of the high sunshine hours for that time. Therefore, the government of Myanmar is trying to increase the utilization of solar energy for the rural electrification. In this respect, the seventy percent of population are living in rural area where they cannot access the electricity. For the off-grid area, Myanmar has mainly emphasis on solar home system and mini-grid system to be sustainable, affordable and environmental friendly. This paper aims to describe the high potential of solar energy, current situation of solar energy implementations and the important of Renewable Energy of Myanmar respectively. This paper is also intends to know good opportunity for international investors and developers concerning solar energy. This paper presents Hence, The current status, future potentials of solar energy sector and solar energy development in Myanmar are presented in this context. In this paper, also up to date information is provided for the solar energy sector of the country.