Thailand has committed to supplying additional energy to provinces on the Thai-Cambodia border, an official says.

Tun Lean, director of the General Energy Department at the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy, said on Monday its Thai counterpart would supply an additional 40 megawatts of energy.

“We will buy 40 megawatts to add to the current supply of 80 megawatts,” she said.

“We will buy more from November,  This capacity will be enough for demand in the three provinces, and it can also supply Phnom Penh if there is any remaining.”

Phou Puy, president of the Federation of Cambodian Rice Millers’ Associations, said buying more electricity to meet demand was necessary.

He said his rice mill in Battambang was not short of electricity, because he had a contract with Electricite du Cambodge, but other mills lacked energy.

Chean Korsen, head of Siem Reap’s electricity office, said there was no electricity shortage in the province because demand was still low, but he was unsure about the future.

For now, the energy demand is between 38 and 40 megawatts, but in the dry season demand rises to between 45 and 48 megawatts.

Korsen said Siem Reap had two grids, from Phnom Penh and from Thailand, and the cost of electricity was 820 riel per kilowatt-hour.

“For the future, I don’t dare to assume, because it depends on all sectors. When the economy is good, the demand is also high,” he said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Rann Reuy at [email protected]