Phnom Penh (FN), Dec. 17 – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen stated that the Lower Sesan 2 Hydroelectric Project does not only supply energy to Stung Treng province, but also to other provinces, addressing at the inauguration ceremony on Monday.
The Lower Sesan 2 (LS2) Hydropower Project is located on the Sesan River in Sesan District, Stung Treng Province, Cambodia, 1.5 km downstream from its confluence with the Srepok River and 25km from where the two rivers meet the Mekong River mainstream.
The river catchment area is 49,200 km2 with the length of 6.4 km, the longest dam in Asia. The mean annual discharge at dam site of Lower Se San 2 HPP is 1310m3/s with water level of EL.75 meters and total storage of 2.7 billion m3. The total capacity of the HPP is 400 MW with an annual generation output of 1912 GW.h.
According to the government’s announcement, the generated power will be sold to Electricite du Cambodge (EDC), and exported to Vietnam.
LS2 is a build-operate-transfer (BOT) project under the $800 million joint ventures of China's Hydrolancang International Energy, which holds 51 per cent of the investment capital, Royal Group 39 per cent, and Vietnam's EVNI 10 per cent. After 45 years of operation, the ownership will be transferred to the Royal Government.
The construction of this Project boomed the local industries of construction materials and logistics; provided employment and technical training opportunities to the local labors; increased the local resident income; and therefore strongly promoted the economic development of Cambodia. After the completion of the project, it will provide large amount of clean and renewable energy to Cambodian national power grid and respond to the country's energy demand.
According to Prime Minsiter Hun Sen, foreigners used to visit him and told him that if the dam were built, Cambodia would lose 70 per cent of the fish.
The premier replied that he was shocked to hear such statement as if fish in Cambodia climbs the mountain. As a matter fact, the fish gathers at the Tonle Sap and the Mekong, not Sesan River.
=FRESH NEWS
