Phnom Penh Special Economic Zone (PPSEZ) has signed an agreement with a Singaporean clean energy firm to install and operate a solar panel system inside the 357-hectare industrial park, the company said yesterday in a press release.

Cleantech Solar Corporation will lease a photovoltaic solar system to PPSEZ as part of a pilot project that could lead to further solar deployment to serve companies operating in the industrial park.

The pilot system, to be installed on PPSEZ’s administration building, is expected to be operational by the end of April.

“Phnom Penh SEZ will operate the system and generate electricity themselves,” said Arnaud Ayral, Cleantech’s regional business development director.

“We are leasing the equipment to them and [will] make sure it is properly designed and installed, and we [will] provide the technical support – our client doesn’t have to take performance risks,” he added.

Bob Anderson, deputy CEO of LCH Investment Group, the parent company of PPSEZ, said the solar energy project was part of a drive to provide additional, clean power options to the industrial park and its customers.

PPSEZ did not indicate the size and capacity of the solar power unit, or its total energy consumption.