Residents in the Kachin State capital Myitkyina told DVB that it is difficult to publicly oppose the regime’s plans to resume the Myitsone hydropower dam project due to the fear of arrest and persecution since Naypyidaw announced in December that it will take legal action against anyone who opposes its planned projects.
“We have been told by the [regime administration] about the benefits of operating the project during meetings. No questions have been raised by residents as no one dares to confront the military,” a Myitkyina resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity.
The Myitsone hydropower dam project, which started in 2009, was resumed by the regime on Dec. 16 after being suspended in 2011 by then-President Thein Sein due to public opposition over earthquake risks as it is located 16 miles (25.4 km) northeast of the Sagaing Fault.
The proposed location for the Myitsone hydropower dam is along the confluence of the Maykha and Malikha rivers, which is the source of Myanmar’s Irrawaddy River, in Kachin State.
The project is worth $3.6 billion USD and includes six sites along the rivers with a total capacity of 19,099 megawatts of electricity, of which 6,000 megawatts will be generated from the Myitsone dam.
Regime deputy Soe Win stated in December that hydropower should be prioritized as it is the most cost-effective energy source at 82 MMK ($0.02 USD) per unit, compared to 171 MMK ($0.04 USD) for solar, 215 MMK ($0.05 USD) for coal and 235 MMK ($0.05 USD) for natural gas.
Residents of Myitkyina told DVB that the Myitsone hydropower dam project, which has been suspended for over 15 years, was revived after a request from China following the Feb. 1, 2021 military coup, which ousted the democratically elected National League for Democracy (NLD) party government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, who’s been held in detention by the regime in Naypyidaw ever since.
The “Kachin State Local Committee for Support and Collaboration,” established by Myitkyina residents and military personnel in December, held public consultations with regime officials on April 3, regime media reported.
“The committee claimed that it was formed with local people but we don’t know if it represents [local sentiment],” a Kachin environmental activist told DVB on the condition of anonymity.
The regime claimed that the “Ayeyarwady-Myitsone-Myitnya-Myintwan Hydropower Project,” which is the new name given to the Myitson hydropower dam, could help attract investment and create job opportunities in Kachin State.
At least 10 public meetings between residents and regime officials have been hosted by this committee over the past three months to “collect residents’ views.”
The National Unity Government (NUG), an anti-regime parallel administration led by elected lawmakers ousted in the 2021 coup, claimed that the regime is “selling out” Myanmar to China by moving forward on the Myitsone hydropower dam project.
A Chinese government-run corporation owns 80 per cent of the Myitsone hydropower dam project with Myanmar owning 15 per cent and Asia World Company owning 5 per cent, according to Institute for Strategy and Policy-Myanmar (ISP-Myanmar).
It estimated that the dam would generate roughly 20,000 megawatts annually with China receiving 90 per cent and Myanmar receiving the remaining 10 per cent of electricity.
The Kachin Human Rights Watch (KHRW) told DVB that nearly 11 villages have already been evacuated and resettled to Aung Myin Tha and Maliyan villages in Myitkyina Township to make way for the proposed dam project.
“There is the potential for more villages to be evacuated. The military’s resumption on the project could worsen local instability,” Jacob, the KHRW spokesperson, told DVB.
Naw Bu, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) spokesperson, told DVB that resistance forces will stand with the Kachin people to oppose Naypyidaw and Beijing’s plans to revive the Myitsone hydropower dam project.
The regime Minister of Electricity and Energy Ko Ko Lwin reportedly paid a one-day visit to Kunming, China, on April 12 to discuss the potential for constructing solar and wind power plants in Myanmar with Chinese state-owned companies.
This includes China Southern Power Grid, Yunnan Energy Group, Union Resources & Engineering Co. Ltd. and Yunnan Xianshang Export and Import Co. Ltd.
The regime Ministry of Electric Power reportedly wants to accelerate the implementation of hydropower, solar, wind, and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) power plant projects currently underway in Myanmar.
Ko Ko Lwin and his delegation are currently in Russia until April 18 “to strengthen cooperation in the electricity and energy sector between Myanmar and Russia.”
