CPD Working Paper 108
Recent Developments in Myanmar
Opportunities for Sub-Regional Energy Cooperation
In the context of the political and economic changes that have marked Myanmar since 2010, this paper assesses the opportunities for sub-regional energy cooperation between four countries: Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar, with Myanmar as a node.
The paper also analyses the strategic importance of sub-regional energy initiatives, and the politico-economic and social undercurrents that may enhance/impede relationships in the future. A gas exporter and a country with large potential for hydropower development, Myanmar is at the centre of the regional energy policy discourse.
The paper explores available opportunities in the trade and development of fossil fuels, hydropower and renewable energy. The emphasis, the paper suggests, needs to be on building win-win partnerships that will harness complementarities. Myanmar stands to gain significant strategic mileage if its decisions are governed by a balance of enlightened self-interest and the need to forge ties with varied political partners.
Contributor: Deepti Mahajan Mittal
Publication Period: September 2014