Arget wrote: ↑Tue Nov 12, 2019 10:28 am The Phnom Penh Post


The Phnom Penh Post

PM: No more electricity shortages from next year
Content image - Phnom Penh Post
Prime Minister HE has said Cambodia will no longer face an electricity supply shortage starting from next year. Heng Chivoan

Hin Pisei
Publication Phnom Penh date 4 June 2019

Prime Minister HE announced on Monday that by next year, Cambodia will not face a shortage of electricity supply. The Kingdom has reserved 400MW from two large power generators.

Speaking to students at a graduation ceremony in Phnom Penh on Sunday, the prime minister said the government has approved to buy two power generators from Germany and Finland, each with a 200MW capacity to reserve for the capital’s power supply.


“A lack of water affected power generation this year. It has been a huge experience for Cambodia in addressing the challenges,” he said.

The prime minister previously said the Kingdom had an electricity shortage of 400MW. National utility company Electricite du Cambodge (EDC) has just signed an agreement to purchase 200MW of additional power from Laos.


HE said: “Next year there will not be any such problems if hydropower is not available. We still have oil and gas generators.”

The prime minister had previously announced that the Kingdom would import power ships from Turkey to compensate for the shortages, but the plan was later cancelled.

Electricity Authority of Cambodia (EAC) vice-chairman Ty Thany told The Post on Sunday that Cambodia had ordered two fuel-powered generators to be used during this year’s severe shortages.

“We hope that there will be no problem with electricity shortages,” he said, adding that the generators would only be used for reserve as they are expensive to run.

Cambodia is currently among the fastest electrifying countries in the world, with coverage reaching 89.1 per cent as of the end of 2017, a newly published World Bank report said

OOPS ...................................................

Power shortages again in dry season, says prime minister


The Kingdom can currently generate a total of 1,328MW from hydropower, but low water levels will increase electricity shortages, Prime Minister HE said on Thursday.


Thou Vireak
Phnom Penh
Publication date 07 November 2019 | 23:31 ICT

Cambodia will face power shortages again from the end of this year throughout the dry season, Prime Minister HE said on Thursday.

Speaking at the official launch of the National Strategic Development Plan 2019-2023, HE said the shortages were due to unprecedented low water levels in the Mekong River leading to hydropower generation dropping below local demand.


The Kingdom can currently generate a total of 1,328MW from hydropower, he said, but the low water levels will increase electricity shortages from 184MW to 687MW.

“I recommend Minister of Mines and Energy Suy Sem to order the acceleration of the construction and preparation of the 400MW power generators earlier than planned, adding more workers and working day and night,” the prime minister said.


He was referring to the $180 million 200MW generator from Germany and the $175 million 200MW power generator from Finland that the government agreed to purchase in June and July, respectively.

In June, Electricite du Cambodge (EdC) signed an agreement with two Chinese companies to build a $380 million 400MW oil and liquefied natural gas power plant in Kandal province’s Lvea Em district.

Victor Jona, the director-general of the Ministry of Mines and Energy’s General Department of Energy, said the plant will be online in May next year.

“This plant will help curb the shortage of electricity during the dry season – when demand is the highest – as our hydropower production is reduced. I appeal to consumers to save power altogether,” said Jona.


To address the power shortages, he said, the government is planning talks late this month or early next month with the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) to purchase an additional 300MW of power.

Early in September, a cabinet meeting decided that the government will purchase 2,400MW of electricity from Laos.

A lack of electricity supply has become an obstacle to the Kingdom’s manufacturing sector, which faces higher electricity costs compared to neighbouring countries and puts a strain on competitiveness.

Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) vice-president Chan Sokheang said the advance notice could help prepare rice millers to adjust their production lines.

“We need a lot of power. We will meet with the EdC and negotiate so that rice millers [who are] members [of the CRF] can operate. We will find a solution and talk to the rice millers . . . try to grind at night, try to shift schedules around,” Sokheang said.

Last year, Cambodia consumed 2,650MW of electricity, a 15 per cent increase compared to 2017. Of the amount, 442MW was imported from Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. The rest was produced in Cambodia from coal-fired plants, hydropower dams and solar farms.

Be prepared this dry season.

CEOCambodiaNews wrote: ↑Mon Nov 18, 2019 9:17 am It has been reported that the electricity was cut off all day yesterday, 17 November 2019, in a large part of Kampot province, including Kampot town. The power cut was announced beforehand by the EdC.