ELECTRICITY supply is set to grow by up to 25 percent in Cambodia this year when extra energy is to be transmitted from Vietnam to cope with demand, officials said Wednesday.
Minister for Industry, Mines and Energy Suy Sem said that a surge in electrical demand, due to the growth in the number of buildings, including factories and homes, has prompted the government to try to increase supply.
“We plan to increase electricity by between 20 to 25 percent this year to run in parallel with the increase in current demand,” he said.
Ty Thany, director of the electricity price setting department of the Electricity Authority of Cambodia, said Wednesday that Cambodia will receive 100 megawatts of energy from Vietnam to bolster supply in Phnom Penh and rural areas.
“When we have got it, our power supply will be much higher than our targeted amount,” he said. “However, this is still low when compared to demand, especially on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.”
In 2009, the ministry supply of electricity increased an annualised 12.2 percent to 1.818 terawatt-hours (tWh) from 1.620 tWh in 2008.
According to an annual report released Wednesday, this power was sold to commercial customers and households in Phnom Penh and the 11 provinces covered by Electricite du Cambodge (EDC). Cambodia also bought 0.227 tWh from Thailand to supply to Siem Reap, Battambang, and Banteay Meanchey provinces in 2009.
In December last year, the first phase of the $280 million Kamchay Hydroelectricity plant in Kampot province was inaugurated. In four years, when Chinese company Sinohydro Corporation completes the project, the dam is expected to produce 193.2 megawatts of electricity.
