Energy

Gems are, as ever, a boon to the Myanma economy. The sector employs thousands and raises millions, for the state as well as for insurgent groups. Sanctions and civil war – let alone nationalisation, military control and international campaigns – have greatly affected the sale of precious stones. Jade, rubies and sapphires have nonetheless...

New projects are welcome given the country’s weak domestic grid and isolation from regional power supplies. With the exception of electricity being sold across the border to China, Myanmar is largely cut-off from its neighbours. While its main grid may lack connections to others, the country is in a very good position to begin linking up with...

The energy sector is the great, untapped potential on which much of Myanmar’s hopes are pinned. One of the world’s first oil producers, Myanmar is emerging in the 21st century as a key producer of natural gas. With the lifting of international sanctions and the resolution of a maritime border dispute with Bangladesh, the government has moved to...

With an abundance of resources, especially coal, oil, natural gas, hydro and geothermal, solar is not an obvious choice for Myanmar. Solar power, however, is an excellent source of energy for the country and could help it meet some of its more pressing energy needs in the near and mid-term. Solar may also have a role to play in Myanmar’s long-...

Few issues stir as much interest in Myanmar as hydroelectric power. For some, the significant number of potential dam sites are untapped opportunities to bring the country into the developed world, while for others, hydropower projects challenge the preservation of traditional cultures, ecosystems and homelands.