A coal power plant in Stung Hav district, Preah Sihanouk province. Photo: EDC PhnomPenh (VNA) – The Royal Group, Cambodia’s biggest private firm oftycoon Kith Meng, has secured 168.8 hectares of land in Koh Kong’s Botum SakorNational Park under a leasing agreement to develop a 700 megawatt (MW) coal power plant, according to a governmentsub-decree.
Thesub-decree, signed by Prime Minister Hun Sen and released on August 6, statesthat the government has reclassified the state-public land of the park, inThmar Sor and Chamlong Kor village, Thmar Sor commune, Botum Sakor district, tostate-private land as sustainable use areas.
Theagreement is under the Ministry of Environment as the authority to hold stateproperty and in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, as theauthority to manage the property in accordance with the laws and principles ofthe government, according to the sub-decree.
TheCambodian National Assembly in March approved a draft provision of a stateguarantee for three new power projects, one of which is a 700 MW coal-firedpower plant investment undertaken by the Royal Group.
The1.344 billion USD value project will comprise two generators. One will be a350 MW generator that is scheduled to generate power in 2023 and the other a350 MW generator that is scheduled to generate power in 2024.
Accordingto the National Assembly’s approved draft, the project is contracted under apower-purchase agreement with Electricite Du Cambodge (EDC). The agreement is astate guarantee that pays investors if the facilities fail to operate as perthe purchase agreement.
Anannual report from the Ministry of Mines and Energy shows that Cambodia’s mainelectricity sources are hydroelectric dams and coal-fired power plants.
Cambodiahas seven Chinese-built hydropower dams with a total capacity of 1,328 MW andthree coal-fired power plants in Stung Hav district, Preah Sihanouk province,with a combined capacity of 675 MW.
Powersupply rose by 28 percent in 2019 to 3,382 MW, according to the report./.
VNA
