Yangon power supplier blames rise in blackouts on high demand

Yangon residents have in recent weeks complained of frequent blackouts, a familiar problem that has nonetheless defied a pledge by the city’s electricity authority to provide 24-hour power to residents during the summer, The Irrawaddy reported.

Ahead of the hot season, the municipal government power supplier said in January that it would be able to provide 24-hour electricity to residential areas since new natural gas turbines in four Yangon townships and two additional turbines donated by Thailand would bolster the city’s electricity generating capacity.

The Yangon Electricity Supply Corporation (YESC) told The Irrawaddy last week that it had failed to fulfill its promise due to an unanticipated increase in demand.

Yan Lin, chief engineer of YESC, said that normally Yangon uses about 890 megawatts of power daily, but consumption has increased to 1,095 megawatts during the summer months.

With demand compounded by dozens of ongoing constructions projects, the country’s biggest city currently accounts for more than half of the average daily power consumption nationwide, which is over 2,000 megawatts.