At the first meeting of the Electricity and Energy Development Commission this week, chairman Tin Aung San called for solar panels to be fitted during building construction as power shortages plague Myanmar.
According to the junta media, the admiral aims to require developers to install panels on all new buildings and “supply the surplus electricity to the national grid”.
The deputy prime minister did not say if the rules would apply to both commercial and residential buildings.
He called for wider use of renewable energy like solar to reduce the country’s dependence on hydropower and liquefied natural gas (LNG) to generate electricity.
Tin Aung San said junta boss Min Aung Hlaing has ordered a rapid increase in solar projects and the construction of low-head dams on the Irrawaddy River for hydropower generation.
Aung Pyae Sone, son of the junta boss, has won licenses to sell solar panels and equipment while the regime has granted tax exemptions on solar imports.
Blackouts in Myanmar have doubled in duration since the regime formed the electricity commission in mid-December to “accelerate energy sector development”.
Yangon’s 7 million residents usually get power in two four-hour chunks per day and often less.
The junta has blamed the blackouts on attacks on major power lines and stations, a decrease in natural gas production, pipeline repairs and natural disasters.
Tin Aung San told the meeting that his commission is working to generate electricity from LNG power plants to boost supplies.
However, no specific timeline was provided for when those plants will be able to supply electricity.
