The International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF), which is responsible for the nation’s foreign aid programs, has provided local governments in Myanmar with minigrid solar power systems and lighting appliances to improve rural electrification, an official said yesterday.
More than 66 percent of households in the Southeast Asian nation’s rural areas have no access to electricity, TaiwanICDF deputy secretary-general Shyy Lih-jiun (史力軍) told a news conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, adding that lighting is largely provided by candles and oil lanterns.
To help improve rural electrification, the fund and local governments have set up pilot photovoltaic installations and lighting appliances on two sites in Myanmar’s Magway and Sagaing regions, which supply electricity to five villages, Shyy said.
A test run started in June and the installations have since been supplying stable electricity to 600 households, he said.
At a ceremony on Dec. 6, fund deputy secretary-general Lee Pai-po (李柏浡) officially handed over the installations to local governments, Shyy said.
Taiwanese businesses interested in the lighting project are invited to take part in the Myanmar venture to gain access to potential business opportunities while helping the locals, Shyy said.
TaiwanICDF provides loans, investments, technical cooperation and training to partner countries.
It is dedicated to promoting socioeconomic and economic relations with developing nations, but also offers humanitarian assistance in the event of natural disasters or international refugee crises, the fund said on its Web site.
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