What preventive measures can Myanmar take to reduce the damage of earthquakes to its power infrastru

   To reduce the damage of earthquakes to power infrastructure, Myanmar can adopt the following systematic preventive measures, covering multiple dimensions such as planning, technology, management, and international cooperation:

 I. Strengthening the Seismic Design Standards of Power Facilities

1. **Upgrading the Seismic Rating of Infrastructure**

   - Raise the seismic standards of key facilities such as substations and transmission towers from the current level 7 to level 9, and adopt **H-shaped steel frame structures** and **copper-nickel alloy busbars** to enhance seismic resistance.

   - Mandate **seismic response analysis** for newly built power stations (such as hydropower, thermal power, and photovoltaic power stations), and use flexible connection technology to reduce the risk of equipment displacement.

2. **Application of Smart Grid Technology**

   - Deploy **smart grid systems** in earthquake-prone areas such as Mandalay and Naypyidaw to support automatic fault isolation and rapid recovery. For example, use the **Wide Area Monitoring System (WAMS)** to monitor the grid status in real-time, and automatically cut off the damaged lines during an earthquake to avoid chain failures.

 II. Optimizing the Power Grid Structure and Energy Layout

1. **Distributed Generation and Microgrid Construction**

   - Accelerate the promotion of **distributed photovoltaic + energy storage systems** in rural areas to reduce dependence on the main power grid. For instance, pilot **off-grid microgrids** in places like Kachin State, equipped with seismic-resistant energy storage batteries and intelligent inverters.

   - Promote **small-scale biomass power plants** and **modular gas turbines** as backup power sources for remote areas.

2. **Enhancing Grid Redundancy**

   - Build **multiple-circuit transmission lines** to connect major cities (such as the double-circuit 230kV line between Naypyidaw and Mandalay) to ensure that power can still be supplied through alternative routes in case of a single-line failure.

   - Add **Flexible Alternating Current Transmission Systems (FACTS)** at weak points in the grid to improve the flexibility of power transmission and the ability to resist interference.

 III. Establishing an Earthquake Early Warning and Emergency Response Mechanism

1. **Integration of Earthquake Early Warning Systems**

   - Collaborate with meteorological departments to connect earthquake early warning signals to the power control system. For example, trigger the **automatic shutdown command** 10-30 seconds in advance to protect the key equipment of hydropower and thermal power stations.

   - Deploy **vibration sensors** in substations to monitor the structural health status in real-time and automatically assess the degree of equipment damage after an earthquake.

2. **Reserve of Emergency Repair Resources**

   - Establish a national-level **power emergency物资储备库** (power emergency supplies reserve warehouse), equipped with mobile substations, diesel generators, high-voltage cables, and other equipment to ensure coverage of the disaster area within 72 hours.

   - Train professional emergency repair teams and conduct regular **cross-regional joint drills** (such as Sino-Myanmar joint emergency repair simulations).

 IV. Improving the Resilience of Rural Power Systems

1. **Upgrading of Rural Power Grids**

   - Raise the seismic standard of rural distribution lines to level 8, and replace traditional wooden poles with **concrete poles + steel strand reinforcement**.

   - Equip key places such as rural medical stations and schools with **seismic-resistant energy storage systems** to ensure a minimum of 48 hours of emergency power supply.

2. **Community Disaster Prevention Capacity Building**

   - Promote **household-level solar lights + small-scale energy storage devices** to provide basic lighting and mobile phone charging after an earthquake.

   - Provide **simple power equipment maintenance training** to villagers, such as how to manually switch to the backup power source.

 V. International Cooperation and Technical Assistance

1. **Technology Introduction and Joint R&D**

   - Collaborate with countries like China and Japan to jointly develop **seismic-resistant smart substations**, such as the "seismic modular substation" technology of Power China.

   - Introduce **low-cost earthquake monitoring sensors** from India and deploy them on rural transmission lines.

2. **Financial and Human Resources Support**

   - Seek loans from the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank to establish a **special fund for power seismic resistance**.

   - Invite Chinese technical teams to provide **seismic technology training** to Myanmar's power department and cultivate local engineers.

 VI. Long-term Planning and Policy Assurance

1. **Legislation and Mandatory Standards**

   - Revise the "Electric Power Law" to clarify the seismic design standards for power facilities and the penalty measures for violations.

   - Create an **earthquake risk map**, divide high, medium, and low-risk areas for power facility construction, and restrict the construction of large-scale power stations in high-risk areas.

2. **New Energy Transition**

   - Accelerate the construction of projects such as the 1GW photovoltaic base in Meiktila, Mandalay, and plan to add 5GW of renewable energy installed capacity by 2026 to reduce dependence on the traditional power grid.

   - Prioritize the deployment of **floating solar power stations** (such as in the reservoir area of the Irrawaddy River) in earthquake-prone areas to reduce the impact of geological activities.

 Conclusion

Myanmar needs to adopt a comprehensive approach of **technical upgrading, structural optimization, early warning response, and international cooperation** to build a full-chain disaster prevention system covering "prevention-response-recovery". In the short term, the focus should be on enhancing the seismic resistance of existing facilities, and in the long term, systematic resilience enhancement should be achieved through new energy transitions and smart grid construction. The technical experience of Chinese enterprises and the Sino-Myanmar cooperation mechanism will serve as key supports.