Emergency power plans impossible without price rises: official
Electricity prices need to rise before the government can move forward with plans to meet demand for next hot season, a senior Ministry of Electricity and Energy official says.
With many areas of the country suffering from crippling power cuts, the ministry earlier this month announced a range of potential solutions to meet demand in the next few years, including liquefied natural gas barges, imports from China and Laos, and solar photovoltaic projects.
U Han Zaw, deputy director general of the Department of Electric Power Planning, said the ministry was under pressure from the government to come up with solutions to the power shortages, which have forced the ministry to introduce scheduled outages since late April and prompted significant public criticism.
Kyaw Ye Lynn
