Yangon and Mandalay to introduce four-hour rotating power cuts
Ayeyarwady Region faces tighter rationing, with electricity supplied for two hours followed by six hours without power.
Myanmar’s two largest cities, Yangon and Mandalay, will receive electricity in alternating four-hour periods under rationing announced by the Yangon Electricity Supply Corporation and Mandalay Electricity Supply Corporation. Municipalities will be assigned to Groups A and B, with daily rotations beginning between 4:00 AM and 5:00 AM.
The Ministry of Electricity and Energy said the restrictions were needed to avert a complete grid failure. It attributed the electricity shortfall to increased air-conditioning demand during unusually high temperatures. State media reported work to repair damaged infrastructure and develop hydropower and solar projects.
Authorities in Ayeyarwady Region have imposed a tighter cycle: two hours with electricity, then six without it, providing six hours of supply each day. Ministry data indicate that only about 28 per cent of the region’s households are connected to the grid.
Residents of Pathein, Hinthada, Maubin and Myaungmya reported daily outages exceeding 14 hours since 2022, compounded by complete power losses after the March 2025 earthquake. Shopkeepers and drinking-water suppliers in Yangon and Ayeyarwady said extended outages were raising operating costs and creating widespread shortages of bottled drinking water and ice.
The Climate Impact Lab estimates that intensified El Niño conditions could cause more than 1,000 heat-related deaths in Myanmar between September 2026 and February 2027. Patients, elderly people and vulnerable families in densely populated urban areas face indoor heat risks when cooling systems cannot operate.
