EAC: 2017 electricity imports to fall

KHMER TIMES
SOK CHAN

The government expects to supply electricity to all villages in the country by 2020. KT/Chor Sokunthea

Cambodia’s electricity imports from neighboring countries is expected to fall this year as domestic power production increases due to investments in hydropower resources, according to the annual report of the state-owned Electricity Authority Cambodia (EAC) released on Monday.

The EAC report stated that Cambodia’s purchase of electricity from overseas fell by about 25 percent in 2016 compared with the previous year. According to EAC’s projections, this year’s imports are expected to fall further by 20 percent compared to 2016 due to domestic production increasing by 19.8 percent last year, compared with 2015.

In 2016, 1,592 megawatts (MW) of power was produced domestically and the EAC report predicts that 1,732 MW of electricity would be generated in the country this year.

Cambodia has six hydroelectric plants in operation, and one coal-powered plant.

“Currently, Cambodia imports electricity from all neighboring countries, including Thailand, Vietnam and Laos,” said the EAC report.

“In 2016, Cambodia bought 135.5 MW from Thailand, 277 MW from Vietnam and 4 MW from Laos,” added the report.

EAC’s chairman Ty Norin said Cambodia’s new coal-fired power plant in Preah Sihanouk province, with a 135 MW-capacity, will be fully operational in April.

“This will help meet domestic demand from consumers and industries, reducing our dependence on imported electricity,” said Mr. Norin.

Mr. Norin also highlighted the government’s efforts in connecting rural Cambodia to the national grid.

“Among 2.16 million consumers across the country, close to 1.86 million or about 86 percent of them can now access electricity from the national grid,” he said.

“There are 14,073 villages nationwide and by 2020, the government expects to install electricity lines in all of them.”

Mr. Norin stressed that energy prices for consumers had greatly fallen in recent years, with rural consumers paying about 610 riel ($0.15) per kilowatt-hour, down from $0.50 a few years ago.

Last November, General Electric (GE) – the Boston-based American multinational conglomerate – announced that it was interested in a partnership with the government to help Cambodia meet its 2035 goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by three million tons annually and electrifying 100 percent of rural areas.

“We will work with the Ministry of Mines and Energy to increase power capacity in the country, and we want to invest more to [bring] the right technology and increase the [technical] capacity of the Cambodian people. We will bring the best technology available,” said Wouter Van Wersch, president of GE’s Asean division.

According to EAC’s Mr. Norin, investment in the country’s energy sector last year, by the government and private sector, amounted to $3.18 billion.