A junta delegation met residents in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, to push for the resumption of the Myitsone Dam hydroelectric project under the upcoming government.
On February 20, a junta delegation led by U Tin Aung San, chairman of the Electricity and Energy Development Commission, met residents at Myitkyina University to outline plans to resume the Myitsone Dam project.
During Chinese New Year celebrations, the coup regime’s deputy chief, Vice Senior General Soe Win, said it hoped to improve relations with China under a new government to emerge from junta-controlled elections. Days later, the junta appeared to step up efforts to restart the Chinese-backed Myitsone Dam project.
While meeting with residents near the Myitsone site, U Tin Aung San said the project’s practical implementation could take five to 10 years, and that only by starting early would the country and future generations have sufficient electricity. Myitsone refers to the area north of Myitkyina City where the Ayeyarwady River originates and is regarded as a natural landmark of the region.
U Tin Aung San also promised that electricity generated by the Myitsone project would be used primarily for local consumption, in an apparent bid to win local support. He said only surplus electricity would be shared with the mainland and other regions and states, but it remained silent on any plans to sell power to China.
He called on locals to back and cooperate with the project, emphasizing that the future government would honor the people’s wishes and that their support was crucial for the project’s success.
The Myitsone Dam is located roughly 23 miles north of Myitkyina City, at the confluence of the N’Mai Kha and Mali Hka rivers that form the Ayeyarwady River, including nearby tributaries, and is designed to generate nearly 20,000 megawatts of hydroelectric power.
Most of the electricity generated by the project is intended for sale to China. The project has faced strong opposition from both local communities and the wider public in Myanmar due to its potential impact on residents. Consequently, the previous government under President U Thein Sein indefinitely suspended the project.
Since seizing power in 2021, the junta has relied heavily on Chinese support. To appease leaders in Beijing, it is now pushing to revive stalled Chinese investment projects in the country, including the Myitsone Dam.
Vice Senior General Soe Win, who visited Myitkyina City in December last year, assured that the Myitsone Dam would be structurally robust. However, its location just 25.4 kilometers from the well-known Sagaing Fault has raised significant safety concerns.
Now, officials and experts from junta-run departments are telling locals that they will prioritize analyzing and earthquake-proofing the Myitsone Dam’s reservoir and other key structures.
The junta stated that it is also working to enhance safety technologies, implement flood protection measures, and provide lawful compensation to residents who will be relocated from the project area.
The junta has been attempting to win over local communities through persuasion, while simultaneously threatening legal action against opponents of the Myitsone Dam project. A December 16 decree from the junta’s National Defence and Security Council warned that anyone opposing government-approved projects without valid justification could face prosecution.
The decree’s effective date has not been announced, but observers noted that the incoming government will likely uphold it and continue carrying out junta-approved projects.
