In efforts to curb electricity shortages during the dry season, the government increased electricity power supply by 315MW to 2,864MW in the first half of this year, data from the Ministry of Mines and Energy said.

During a meeting on Tuesday to review results achieved by the ministry in the first half of this year and set targets for the second half, Minister of Mines and Energy Suy Sem said electricity supply during the dry season had been insufficient, despite government efforts.

“The electricity shortage problem during the last dry season occurred due to drought and a dramatic increase in electricity demand,” he said.

Sem said the government approved eight investment projects in power generation in the first half.

The ministry’s secretary of state Ty Norin could not be reached for comment. However, he previously said the dry season shortages had been due to an unexpectedly high increase in consumption, up 32 per cent this year compared to last year. By contrast, consumption last year rose 16 per cent from 2017.

Electricite du Cambodge director-general Keo Rattanak said last week that the government would focus on prioritising renewable energy development rather than hydroelectric power. He said no hydropower plants would be built along the Mekong River.

He said the Kingdom will boost its investment in solar power by 12 per cent by the end of next year and up to 20 per cent in the next three years.

Rattanak said next year, Cambodia will be able to produce 70MW from solar energy, of which 10MW will be from Svay Rieng province and 60MW from Kampong Speu province’s Oudong district.