Author: Brennan O'Connor

Of all the countries in Southeast Asia, Myanmar has the greatest energy potential, yet is also the most power-starved. Less than a third of the population in Myanmar has regular access to electricity. 

Electricity generation, though, is a big business. Prior to Aung San Suu Kyi’s rise to power in 2015, the military regime signed many shady deals with China involving mega-hydropower dams. 

While an impressive amount of electricity is expected to be generated by these projects, the people of Myanmar are unlikely to benefit—most of the generated power is slated to leave the country. 

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Brennan O’Connor worked for Canada’s leading media publications before dedicating himself full time to cover self-generated under-reported stories in the mainstream press. In 2010, he left his native country to move to Southeast Asia to follow a long-term photo project on Myanmar’s ethnic groups. O’Connor’s project was projected at the prestigious Visa Pour l'image in Perpignan, France, and honoured with the Lucas Dolega Award. His work has been published in the Guardian, Foreign Policy, Paris Match, L’Obs, Al Jazeera, Burn Magazine and The Walrus.