Electrifying hundreds of telecommunication towers and rural communities across Myanmar.
Background
In 2017, Yoma Micro Power successfully completed a 10-plant pilot scheme in Sagaing Region whereby 10 telecommunications towers and four villages in off-grid areas were given access to electricity.
The same year, Yoma Strategic Holdings, IFC and Norfund entered into a partnership with the aim to establish distributed generation micropower plants and mini-grids in Myanmar.
Electricity infrastructure development is a priority for Myanmar to drive economic growth. According to the World Bank only 16 percent of rural households in Myanmar are connected to the power grid. The limited production and distribution of power severely hamper economic development and the powering of telecommunications towers.
of rural households in Myanmar are connected to the power grid
The project
The purpose of the partnership with Yoma is to generate and distribute electricity to off-grid rural communities and telecommunications tower companies. The project expects to secure long-term power supply contracts with telecommunications towers and telecommunications network operators in off-grid locations, which will serve as the anchor tenant. Distribution generation micro power plants will be set up around such areas, powered by a combination of PV solar modules, diesel generators and energy storage solutions, with surrounding communities connected through mini-grids.
Our impact
The ambition is to scale up to more than two thousand micro power plants by 2022. The aim thereafter is to expand coverage to meaningfully serve millions of people in the country.