Subscribers in Shan State North’s Muse and Namkham townships, opposite China’s Ruili, still  have to pay steep charges for electricity supply even though it is produced locally, local residents said. Earlier the power used to come from China.

People complain that they are still being asked to pay the same charges as when they were using electricity from China even though they are now buying it from the local hydropower plant called Shweli, in Namkham Township, said a border source.

Earlier, people in these areas were using electricity supplied from China. Every household was ordered to change and use power from the local plant as of April 2010.

But the power supply is said to be irregular and the charges are very high per unit, said another villager in Muse.

One unit cost between Yuan 1.4 and 1.6 (Kyat 300, $ 0.31). “But the electricity supply was not for 24 hours as it was from China. Since we began to use electricity from Burma, we are not getting regular supply either. Some days we do not get electricity at all.”

People in Muse and Namkham townships had been using electricity from China since 1989.

On the other hand, another problem was the meter boxes because the machine was unable to read the unit measurement, said a source.

“The people are unaware of how much the charges really are. They therefore have to pay what the authorities say,” he added.

People in Burma rarely get regular electricity supply even though the country produces electricity through dozens of its hydropower plants. The electricity is mostly being sold to its neighbouring countries such as Thailand and China.

Shweli #1 is exporting most of its power to China. It is located near Mantat village, 17 miles southwest of Namkham and was inaugurated in May 2006.