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Myanmar has one of the lowest electrification rates in the world. Even with gains in recent years, only 33 percent of the population has an electricity connection. While this rate is higher for the major cities, large parts of rural Myanmar have almost no electricity at all.
Lack of power threatens Myanmar’s economic transition. It restricts the expansion of infrastructure projects, puts industrial development on hold, and slows down job growth. In rural areas, schools and clinics operate with little to no power.
Further progress towards inclusive growth in Myanmar means taking on energy poverty now.
The World Bank Group is committed to Myanmar’s energy development. In January 2014 President Jim Yong Kim announced $1 billion in financial support to expand electricity generation, transmission and distribution in the country.
As part of this effort, the World Bank Group and its partners are working closely with Myanmar’s government to develop and implement a National Electrification Plan. The goal: universal electricity access by the year 2030.
Work on the National Electrification Plan is supported by ESMAP, as part of ESMAP’s Sustainable Energy for All Technical Assistance Program.