Cambodia will implement new standards for its electricity system – modelled after Singapore – in order to reduce the risk of electrical fires, officials said.

The safety measures were developed with the Singapore government and the Temaek Foundation, which pleged $220,000 in 2013 to train and equip Cambodia.

“Electricity is very important in our daily lives and in developing the country, but it also poses many risks if not used properly,” said Suy Sem, minister of Mines and Energy.

Sem said the government has expanded distribution in response to a growing demand for electricity, which increased 20 per cent between 2013 and 2014.

In Cambodia, there were 62 electrical fires, resulting in one fatality between January and May of 2015, an increase from the same period in 2014, which saw just 40 cases.

Bernard Nee, assistant chief executive for the Energy Market Authority of Singapore, said enforcing these guidlines in Singapore “significantly reduced” accidents to an average of just five annually.