Electrcite du Cambodge officials repair electrical wires in Phnom Penh, last month. Heng Chivoan
The government last week approved the construction of a hydroelectric dam and supplemental solar power stations with a total electrical capacity of 220MW, as the Kingdom continues battling a national electricity shortage.
According to Prime Minister Hun Sen, Cambodia is currently facing a 400MW power shortage as a consequence of a particularly rainless dry season, which began in March and is set to end in May.
According to an announcement following a cabinet plenary meeting on Friday, the government has approved an SPHP (Cambodia) Co Ltd investment project to build a hydroelectric station along Pursat river in Veal Veng district’s Pramuoy commune in Pursat province.
The project will be built under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) framework, with $231.10 million invested in a 39-year concession term. The 80MW megawatt project will be launched in 2023.
On April 4, Schnei Tec Co Ltd, which has pumped 20MW of solar energy into the national network out of a total 60MW produced at its Kampong Speu province station, received government approval for an investment project to build two more solar-power stations.
One will be in Pursat province with a 60MW capacity and another in Kampong Chhnang province, also with a 60 MW capacity. The project will be built under a build-owned-operate (BOO) framework with more than $116 million invested in a 20-year concession term.
Moreover, the government has also allowed the company to boost its Kampong Speu province station’s capacity by 20MW.
Government spokesman Phay Siphan on Sunday said energy investment expansion could be a turning point for Cambodia as it moves towards strengthening energy security in response to rapidly increasing energy consumption.
“We are preparing the expansion ourselves to ensure our own energy security, without relying entirely on energy from neighbouring countries,” he said.
Hun Sen on Friday announced the termination of the Kingdom’s power ship deal with Turkey, saying that negotiations did not match the Kingdom’s terms and that the Turkish power ship would not arrive in time.
Meanwhile, the government has approved a draft of the Law on Oil and Petroleum Products Management, which is designed to promote the development of a sustainable and effective oil and gas sector to contribute to the Kingdom’s economic development.
The first oil extraction in Cambodian history is set to take place later this year.
