Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - New $231M Pursat dam built

New $231M Pursat dam built

New $231M Pursat dam built

Groundwork is underway on South Korean-owned SPHP (Cambodia) Co Ltd’s massive $231 million Stung Pursat I hydroelectric dam in Pursat, provincial deputy governor Khoy Rida told The Post on Monday.

Ministry of Mines and Energy senior official Victor Jona said the dam is located in Veal Veng district’s Pramuoy commune and will be able to produce a modest 80MW.

While sustaining minimal impact from the Covid-19 pandemic, the project is still on track to be completed by 2023, Jona said.

SPHP received government approval for the project on May 26.

Rida said SPHP is ramping up construction of a road leading to the site following a field visit last week by its CEO and Keo Rottanak, the director-general of State-run electricity supplier Electricite du Cambodge (EdC), to inspect the dam’s infrastructure.

“The company is currently demining the trail to the hydropower site and paving a road to it, some 20km from the national road.

“We ask the company to speed up construction of the road so that the hydropower project can go ahead as scheduled,” he said.

In addition to the dam, he said the company is also keen on investing in the area as a natural tourism resort at a future date.

“Once the project has come to fruition, the electricity will presumably join the nationwide network and mitigate our reliance on imports.

“The company says it might not invest in just the 80MW electricity project, but also in eco-tourism to draw in more national and international visitors,” Rida said.

Jona, the director-general of the ministry’s General Department of Energy, told The Post that it had issued a licence to SPHP to conduct a feasibility study on the site in 2012.

He said the company has signed an agreement with EdC to sell all the power generated from the dam to the national grid at a cost of $0.07 per kWh.

“This is the second hydroelectric dam project in the province, with the first being the Atai dam which produces 120MW,” Jona said, adding that the province also has two solar projects capable of producing 60MW each, that are being developed by two companies.

EdC’s Rottanak previously said Cambodia is working to generate more than 1,000MW of new energy by the end of this year.

This includes building a coal power plant, utilising solar power, and purchasing low-cost power to better the electricity sector in terms of supply and price.

The Kingdom increased its electricity supply to 2,870.65MW last year, up from 2,650.26MW in 2018, the Electricity Authority of Cambodia (EAC) said in its 2019 annual report.

MOST VIEWED

  • Ministry taking steps over Thai ‘replica’ of Angkor Wat

    The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts has dispatched experts to inspect the ongoing construction of a temple in Wat Phu Man Fah, located in Thailand’s Buriram province. This temple appears to be a replica of Cambodia’s renowned Angkor Wat. The ministry said

  • Ream base allegations must end, urges official

    A senior government official urges an end to the allegations and suspicions surrounding the development of Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base, now that Prime Minister Hun Manet has addressed the issue on the floor of the 78th UN General Assembly (UNGA 78). Jean-Francois Tain, a geopolitical

  • CP denied registration documents by ministry

    The Ministry of Interior will not reissue registration documents to the Candlelight Party (CP). Following a September 21 meeting between ministry secretary of state Bun Honn and CP representatives, the ministry cited the fact that there is no relevant law which would authorise it to do

  • PM to open new Siem Reap int’l airport December 1

    Prime Minister Hun Manet and Chinese leaders would jointly participate in the official opening of the new Chinese-invested Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport on December 1. The airport symbolises a new page in the history of Cambodian aviation, which will be able to welcome long-distance flights to

  • Minimum wage set at $204, after Sep 28 vote

    The minimum wage for factory workers in the garment, footwear and travel goods industries for 2024 has been decided at $204 per month, with the government contributing $2. Following several negotiation sessions, the tripartite talks reached an agreement during a September 28 vote, with 46 of 51 votes supporting the $202 figure.

  • Cambodian diaspora laud Manet’s UN Assembly visit

    Members of the Cambodian diaspora are rallying in support of Prime Minister Hun Manet’s forthcoming visit to the 78th UN General Assembly (UNGA 78) in the US’ New York City this week. Their move is an apparent response to a recent call by self-exiled former