Illustrative image (Photo: adb.org) Phnom Penh (VNA) - About 98 percent of the villages in Cambodia have access to electricity so far, state-run Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP) reported on December 15, citing a minister.
Rural electrification has seen remarkable progress after the government set a goal to electrify all of the 14,168 villages across the country by the end of 2020, Mines and Energy Minister Suy Sem said during a recent visit to a 400-megawatt power plant in southern Kandal province.
The remaining two percent, or 237 villages, that have not been connected to the grid, are located in difficult areas, which pose difficulties for the electrification process, the minister said.
The ministry is preparing to provide them with power access by installing solar power system in those areas, he added.
The main power sources in Cambodia are hydropower dams, coal-fired power plants, solar farms, and imported power from neighbouring countries.
Peak electricity demand has fallen to just 1,700MW this year from 3,600 MW last year due to the decline in power consumption of the garment manufacturing industry which accounted for about 40 percent of the country’s total power consumption, amid the COVID-19 pandemic./.
VNA
