Boosted By Hydropower, Coal, Cambodia Expects to Become Regional Electricity Supplier

Boosted By Hydropower, Coal, Cambodia Expects to Become Regional Electricity
Supplier

Cambodia has said it expects to be able to move from importing nearly all of
its electricity from neighboring countries to a net electricity exporter by
2030.

Victor Jona, director general of the Ministry of Mines and Energy, told
reporters on Wednesday that Cambodia's major hydropower projects, such as
the Lower Sesan II, and coal-fired power plants meant the country could be
in a position to sell electricity to Mekong countries in the near future.

"In the past, we thought that having relied on energy imports for 80 percent
of our needs was too much. But from now until the future by [2030], we
expect and imagine that we could release our energy back to the region," he
said.

A new project by a Malaysian developer, Cambodian Energy II, for a 135
megawatt coal plant in Preah Sihanouk province will help meet this goal, he
said.

The project has seen investment from General Electric, which is building an
emissions monitoring system at the plant and supplying equipment, such as
turbine systems.

Cambodia still experiences regular electricity shortages. In 2015, supplies
were cut to most of the country due to a technical error in the supply from
Vietnam, leading to a public apology from Prime Minister Hun Sen.

William Heidt, U.S. Ambassador, said human rights concerns over the new coal
plant had been discussed with the Cambodian authorities ahead of the signing
event on Wednesday.

"We handled, we talked with the Cambodian government about human rights
issues. We talked with about all sorts of issues. But I think the fact is
that it's now becoming a very interesting market for American companies, and
GE's presence here reflects that," he said.

Due to the shortage in energy, Cambodia has opened its doors to foreign
investors to build large-scale hydropower and coal projects across the
country, attracting criticism from environmentalists and human rights
campaigners who accuse the developers of a range of crimes, from illegal
deforestation to land grabbing.

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Link to Original Article:
http://www.voacambodia.com/a/boosted-by-hydropower-coal-cambodia-expects-to-
become-regional-electricity/3834683.html

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John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.

www.aptthailand.com