Myanmar's decision-making structure for the introduction of renewable energy

Abstract

Myanmar is actively attracting investment and introducing renewable energy through its abundant resources. Since various government officials participate in the renewable energy sector, making efficient decisions and achieving policy goals require an analysis of the decision-making process. This study aims to reveal the decision-making structure for introducing renewable energy in Myanmar through a two-stage survey. The first survey comprised eight categories and was related to the decision makers’ perceptions and willingness to introduce renewable energy. The second survey analyzed the decision-making structure and comprised four main factors. The ordered logit/probit model and analytic hierarchy process were used for analysis. Through the analysis, the study provides the Myanmar officials’ perceptions of each condition, the relationship between the improvement of the condition and the intention to introduce it, and the relative importance of the decision-making factors. Notably, officials favored introducing renewables and had negative perceptions of the conditions of international relations. Additionally, mitigating climate change, the renewable energy potential, and the introduction costs are important factors in the decision-making process. Overall, Myanmar’s decision-making structure and policy stance were generally consistent. This study is meaningful and unique because it directly analyzes the decision-making structure of decision-makers for introducing renewable energy.