(This article is part of our special package on Myanmar. Read more articles here.)
In recent years, as Myanmar has moved toward democracy, a particular four-letter word has repeatedly appeared in the news – coal. The highly-polluting lignite variety of coal is one of the many minerals mined in Myanmar. Notwithstanding public protests over the environmental damage caused by existing mines, coal has been promoted as a path to meeting the country's energy requirements, expected to grow exponentially with increased investment in industry and domestic electrification.
With little industrial development under military rule, Myanmar's energy production and consumption were low. In its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution formulated ahead of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, the country claimed that it barely contributed to global warming through emission of greenhouse gases. However its claim of being a beneficial 'carbon sink' is less tenable with the rapid destruction of its forests, with the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2015 stating the country had the third-highest rate of deforestation globally. A turn to coal-fired power plants will drastically change the country's climate impact for the worse.
Open pits and rat holes
In 2011, when Myanmar produced 692,000 tonnes of coal, its reserves were estimated by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to be 489 million tonnes. The deposits are in Shan, Kayah, Kachin and Chin states, and in Sagaing, Magway, Mandalay, Bago and Tanintharyi regions.