MYANMAR – The junta council’s Electricity Ministry informed that all industry zones in the country will only receive four hours of electricity per day starting October 31, reported some businesses in Yangon Division industry zones.
The official notice said that all industry zones in the country will receive only four hours of electricity per day, either from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. or from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and that the industry zones that received electricity in the morning would not receive any for the day till the next day from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
“The businesses are lost in this terrible system and era. Now, even though the rainy season has yet to end, they announced that electricity will be available for only four hours a day. To buy diesel for generator, we need to go through various approvals from the industry zone to the township. We can’t buy easily. The price we have to pay for diesel is also higher than the prices at gas stations. It is a literal hell,” explained the owner of a business in a Yangon Division industry zone.
There are 29 industry zones in Yangon, and it is said that they will be divided into groups and receive only four hours of electricity per day.
In addition, Yangon, Mandalay, and other major cities are already on a 4 hours on-off cycle when it comes to electricity, but Yangon residents shared that the electricity situation is getting worse in recent days.
“If we get electricity at 5 a.m., it will be cut off at 9 a.m. till 1 p.m. then it will be cut off against at 5 p.m. till 9 p.m. After that, it can be available or get cut off. But these days, the off time is getting longer. The rainy season has not even ended yet,” said a resident of Yangon.
Despite the electricity getting cut off often, Yangon residents shared that they still have to pay the regular monthly electricity bill and the average household bill is at least over 50,000 kyats.
