Worsening blackouts have left Myanmar’s commercial capital Yangon and other cities with only a few hours of electricity per day since the start of 2025.
Power outages have been a persistent problem since the military takeover in 2021, but starting with the new year the situation has deteriorated as the junta ordered longer electricity cuts under a new rolling blackout policy across the country.
Previously, Yangon city was divided into two sections, each receiving alternate power four hours off and four hours on. But Yangon Electricity Supply Corporation has announced a new schedule since Jan. 5 that divides the city into three groups.
That means each section now gets only four hours of power a day followed by an eight-hour blackout, so residents have to endure 16 hours a day without electricity.
“In our neighborhood, we get electricity according to the schedule, but in other areas, electricity comes at random,” said a Thaketa Township resident. “Even when we have power, it doesn’t last for the full four hours. Sometimes, we have to wait until 1 a.m. to cook our meals.”
For many, the scheduled supply hours are not much use because the power comes on at midnight or in the small hours and goes out again before they rise in the morning.
In Mandalay, things are worse since the region is divided into four sections, with each receiving electricity for three hours, followed by a 9-hour outage.
At least that is the theory. “Mostly we only get around 45 minutes, not even a full hour during the daytime,” a resident from Mandalay’s Maha Aung Myay Township said. “We can’t do anything during the day. It’s worse than ever.”
One rubber manufacturer from Mandalay’s Amarapura Township said businesses face growing challenges.
“Production levels were much higher when electricity was available,” the manufacturer said. “But with the current power outages, operations have shifted to coal and diesel generators, which has led to higher costs and lower production output.”
According to a statement from the Ministry of Electric Power, electricity production reached its highest level of over 2,000 megawatts per day last year but has dropped below 2,000 megawatts since the start of 2025, compared to a national average demand of around 4,400 MW per day.
The ministry asked the public for understanding in a notice on Jan. 6, claiming power generation has been reduced due to the destruction of power lines and impact of regional instability.
Amid growing frustration, the Electric Power and Energy Development Commission led by Deputy Prime Minister Tin Aung San held its first meeting on Jan. 7.
“Efforts are being made to allocate available electricity efficiently and smoothly to users, including generating electricity from LNG power plants,” Tin Aung San said.
“Nothing will change,” a netizen commented on the commission’s report, adding sarcastically that the junta may be working on a 100-year plan.
