Phnom Penh (FN), Nov. 30 – Cambodian Minister of Mines and Energy Keo Rattanak highlighted the important achievements of the Cambodian energy sector in the last 15 years, speaking at a groundbreaking ceremony for a 150MW Stung Tatai Leu hydropower dam on Thursday (Nov. 30) in Koh Kong province.
The key achievements are as follows:
1. Development of power supply. Power generation has seen remarkable growth, increasing from 150 MW in 1998 to 4,495.42 MW by the end of 2022, an almost 30-fold rise. Transmission and substation systems resulted in a network covering all 25 capitals and provinces of Cambodia by 2008, with 3,486 km of transmission.
The national distribution network, spanning 87,529 km, reaches 98.27 per cent of villages, connecting 3.28 million houses (88.41 per cent of total households). At the same time, ongoing efforts focus on enhancing power supply capacity and quality through careful development of the national grid, power sources, and distribution networks. Attention is also directed towards resolving electricity supply in remote villages, involving the gradual implementation of small-scale solar power supply systems with battery storage.
2. Nationwide price consensus, reduction, and prioritization for electricity price. Nationwide, electricity prices are determined through an annual subsidy exceeding USD 100 million from Electricite du Cambodge (EDC). The current unit prices are 380 Riel, 480 Riel, and 610 Riel per kWh, designed to support low- and middle-income households using less electricity. Compared to 2015, electricity prices have decreased, particularly in areas not connected to the national grid, where prices ranged from 1,000 Riel to 6,500 Riel per kilowatt hour.
In response to the economic challenges posed by the global crises triggered by COVID19 and the Russia-Ukraine war, Samdech Thipadei has directed EDC to provide additional discounts on electricity for agriculture, processing, agro-industry, industry, trade, and tourism, tailored to the growing season.
3. Improving the provision of services to electricity consumers. At the same time, as the Royal Government of Cambodia focuses on developing supply sources and standardizing electricity prices nationwide, efforts are underway to enhance services for electricity consumers, which includes an ongoing project to upgrade power supply infrastructure, aiming to boost stability and quality. Additionally, preparations are in progress to streamline digital systems for service requests, information, billing, payments, and communication between consumers and suppliers.
4. The Ministry of Mines and Energy, in alignment with the global trend and the Royal Government of Cambodia's commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, is dedicated to ensuring Cambodia's energy supply is of high quality, stable, efficient, and reasonably priced. To fulfill this commitment, the ministry is undertaking two primary tasks: enhancing energy efficiency and increasing the utilization of renewable energy. The ministry is also gearing up to invest in a large-scale storage battery project in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Furthermore, the ministry has called upon companies overseeing hydropower projects in Cambodia to conduct preliminary studies on the potential for hydropower stations in various geographical areas. Initial assessments indicate that the triangle area of Kampong Speu, Koh Kong, and Pursat holds the potential for a hydropower pumping station capable of storing thousands of megawatts of energy.
=FRESH NEWS
