The Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority (PPWSA) installed a solar power generation system last week in an effort to reduce electricity bills by about $200,000 a year.

The solar power system, which was funded by the Japanese government, was installed at the PPWSA’s water treatment facility in the capital’s Daun Penh district at a cost of $7 million.

Ros Kimleang, chief of the accounting and financial department at PPWSA, said yesterday that the system is part of an overall effort to reduce dependency on other energy sources.

Kimleang said he hoped the savings would translate into profits for Cambodia’s only publicly listed company, though he did not say how much the company spends on electricity each year or whether the savings would be passed on to consumers.

The new system will generate one million kilowatt-hours each year, enough to supply power to all of the PPWSA.