25 April 2026 By Naing Yarzar Min
YANGON, Myanmar — Myanmar has been plunged into a total nationwide blackout following a major system failure, just days after the military junta’s electricity minister publicly promised to increase power distribution across the country.
The Yangon Electricity Supply Corporation (YESC) confirmed that a “total system breakdown” occurred shortly after 8:00 PM on Saturday, cutting off electricity to millions of residents in major cities and rural areas alike. Officials stated that emergency efforts are underway to restore the national grid, but gave no timeline for when power might return.
The nationwide outage comes as a significant embarrassment for the military administration. On April 22, the junta-appointed Minister for Electricity, U Ko Ko Lwin, had claimed that power generation had been optimized to provide up to 20 hours of electricity per day in Yangon and 14 to 18 hours in other regions.
However, residents report that since that announcement, blackouts have actually become more frequent and prolonged. “Even before tonight’s total breakdown, we were suffering,” a resident from Yangon’s Thaketa Township told MPA. “The power would come for an hour and be gone for three. You can’t even cook a pot of rice because you never know when it will cut out.”
The blackout is being felt most acutely due to a severe summer heatwave currently gripping the country. With temperatures soaring, residents in cramped apartment buildings find themselves unable to use basic cooling like electric fans.
“Ever since they promised more power, it has been nothing but darkness,” said a man living in a high-rise apartment in downtown Yangon. “It is sweltering, and you can’t even sleep without a fan. Living in this tiny apartment under these conditions is deeply frustrating.”
The junta had previously claimed that it was systematic in its use of energy resources, including natural gas, hydropower, and solar energy, to ensure the public received more power. They also introduced a dual-pricing system, selling uninterrupted power to industrial zones at a premium rate of 900 Kyats per unit.
Critics, however, argue that the national grid is in a state of terminal decline due to years of mismanagement, lack of maintenance, and the escalating conflict. Satellite imagery and ground reports over the past week suggest that the energy crisis is worsening, despite official claims of progress.
As of late Saturday night, major parts of the country remain in complete darkness. For the people of Myanmar, this latest system collapse is a stark reminder of the widening chasm between the junta’s televised promises and the harsh reality of life under military rule.
