Lighting Myanmar

completed

The goal of Lighting Myanmar is to support the creation of a sustainable commercial market for high-quality off-grid energy solutions in Myanmar. More than 65 percent of Myanmar's population has no access to grid-based energy services. In rural areas, more than two thirds of households rely on candles, kerosene, batteries and diesel generators to meet their energy needs. To address this, the Government of Myanmar, with the assistance of the World Bank Group and other donors, has adopted the National Electrification Plan (NEP), which aims to achieve universal access to sustainable electricity services by 2030 through a combination of grid extension and off-grid programs. The potential for commercial approaches to help meet this goal is strong, particularly in off-grid, and the NEP recognizes the need for private investment. However, there are market challenges that have prevented deeper private involvement in Myanmar's off-grid sector, including: (1) insufficient market knowledge among private sector players; (2) lack of information for consumers on the quality of solar products; and (3) limited availability of financing for end consumers and companies. Lighting Myanmar will support international and Myanmar-based companies to overcome these challenges and create a sustainable market for high-quality off-grid energy solutions, including solar lanterns, solar home systems, and potentially mini-grids. Drawing from experience in other Lighting Global programs, Lighting Myanmar will work with lighting product manufacturers, distributors, financial institutions, development partners, and the government in six areas: 1. Quality assurance. The Lighting Global product quality standards were developed under Lighting Africa and have now been adopted as the international standards for off-grid solar lighting products. Lighting Myanmar will support the introduction of products meeting these standards in Myanmar and will work with government agencies and others to promote adoption of these standards where appropriate. 2. Market intelligence. The project will conduct in-depth research on the off-grid market to inform the market strategies of Lighting Global Associates and their local partners. 3. Business development support. This includes a number of activities to help Lighting Global Associates build productive partnerships in the market, including identifying potential local partners (e.g. distributors, retailers, financial institutions) and advising on strategies for entering the market. 4. Consumer awareness. One of the core pillars of the project is implementation of widespread consumer awareness campaigns to stimulate demand for quality-verified off-grid lighting products. These will include multiple delivery channels, drawing on the experience from other Lighting programs. 5. Regulatory and policy dialogue. To encourage policies that are supportive of private involvement in the market, Lighting Myanmar will engage in a dialogue with a range of government actors, as well as international development partners, on issues including subsidies, tariffs, and quality standards. 6. Access to Finance. Lighting Myanmar will seek to address financing barriers, both for companies and end consumers, by working with local and international financial institutions to increase their involvement and develop solutions for the sector.