Starting this month, the maximum electricity tariff for households has risen from 125 kyat to 300 kyat per unit, while business rates have jumped from 180 kyat to 500 kyat.
The country, which relies on hydropower for over 60 percent of its electricity generation, has long struggled with chronic power shortages during the dry season.
Since the 2021 coup, the situation has worsened due to civil unrest, international sanctions and policy failures leading to severe foreign currency shortages.
The conflict has also disrupted power generation, with a Singaporean company recently suspending operations at a thermal power plant in Mandalay due to safety concerns.
Businesses and residents are facing dual hardships of inadequate power supply and soaring electricity costs. CJ CheilJedang's subsidiary, CJ Feed Myanmar, announced the temporary closure of its feed factory near Yangon in May. The industrial park housing the factory received only four hours of electricity daily from the national grid, forcing factories to rely on generators.
The junta's decision to raise electricity rates is expected to further increase inflation and exacerbate the economic hardships faced by Myanmar's population.
