Residents in Yangon will experience scheduled electricity distribution under a rotational system from 9:00 am. to 9:00 pm., according to official sources.

Townships across four districts in the Yangon Region will be divided into two groups—Group A and Group B—with electricity supplied on a four-hour alternating basis. The measure is aimed at balancing the increasing electricity demand across the region.

However, areas powered by LNG-based electricity systems will not be affected by power outages, officials said.

A resident from Thaketa Township reported that power cuts began earlier in the day. “There was no electricity this morning starting from around 9 am. Power supply had been stable for some time, but outages have just started again,” the resident said.

The Ministry of Electric Power stated that due to rising consumption, electricity will be distributed on a load-sharing basis in certain locations and during specific hours.

The average daily power requirement is 4,660 megawatts and efforts are being made to fully distribute it. However, due to the destruction of some main power lines and the decrease in natural gas supply, an additional 500 megawatts of LNG-fired power plants have been planned to generate 3,600 megawatts, which is 77 percent of the target capacity, the ministry said.

As the summer season has arrived, the water collected from the irrigation canals is to be stored and operated until June and the power is to be distributed, but during the university entrance exam period, the ministry said that the water collected from the dams has been increased to ensure continuous electricity supply for students and examination centers during the night.

The Ministry of Energy announced that in order to ensure a continuous and balanced power distribution from the end of the exam period to June and to control the increase in power consumption during the current hot weather, a load balancing program will be implemented in certain places and times starting from March 18, in accordance with the power generation capacity.

The Ministry announced that the power generated by LNG power plants will be continuously distributed without load balancing through the power lines that are directly connected to the grid.

Therefore, the Ministry has issued a statement urging people to understand the need for load balancing in electricity generation and distribution and to use electricity economically.