Nearly four years after the military coup, the electricity supply situation in Myanmar has deteriorated to unprecedented levels. Beginning early January 2025, the military junta has further reduced electricity distribution, even in major cities like Yangon.

According to the junta’s latest announcement, electricity will now be available for only eight hours per day, leaving the remaining 16 hours without power. However, residents in Yangon report that the reality is worse than the official schedule.

“Even when they say electricity will come, it’s delayed by about five minutes, and it often cuts off half an hour or an hour earlier than scheduled. On top of that, there’s no water supply during power cuts. In Yangon, we rely on electricity to pump water, so even during the short time we get power, water doesn’t arrive. It’s unbearable. We’ve had to throw away so much spoiled food,” said Daw Phu Phu, a resident of Dawbon Township.

The junta admitted in June 2024 that electricity generation had decreased by nearly 50% compared to previous years. This has resulted in some factories in industrial zones shutting down operations.

Even in Naypyidaw, the junta’s administrative capital, power outages, which were previously rare, are now more frequent, particularly in neighborhoods far from government offices.

“It was unheard of before, but now things are getting worse. Even the electric vehicles (EVs) the junta is aggressively promoting need to rely on generators to charge,” said a source from Naypyidaw.

The junta has been using state-run media, including newspapers, television, and radio, to urge citizens to conserve electricity and water, highlighting the worsening crisis.