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Cambodia inaugurates $17.8m ADB-funded power plant

PHNOM PENH: Cambodia's electricity-starved capital got its second new power plant in a week on Saturday with the inauguration of a $17.8 million, 18-megawatt station funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Co-premier Prince Norodom Ranariddh presided over the ceremony, which followed the opening last Tuesday of a 10 megawatt (MW) power plant funded by Japanese aid.

Industry, Energy and Mines Minister Pou Sothirak said the electricity needs of the capital would be met by the two facilities.

All of Phnom Penh's existing diesel power plants date back to before the outbreak of civil war in the early 1970s and until recently had been left in a decayed state with old machinery turning out electricity with varying reliability.

Power blackouts are common throughout the city and most international organisations and rich Cambodians rely on private generators for electricity through most of the day.

The ADB loan project included the installation of three 6.2 MW diesel-powered generators, rehabilitation of some of the capital's distribution network, technical assistance and spare parts for the C3 power plant.

"The situation will improve later this year with the addition of further new capacity that will give us the reserves to maintain a reliable service," said Sothirak.

A new 10 MW power plant funded by a World Bank loan and a 35 MW power plant built by a $40 million project headed by Malaysia's Delcom Leader Group are both scheduled to be inaugurated in June.

Sothirak estimated that by the end of the year Phnom Penh would have electricity generating capacity of about 90 MW, compared with just 15-20 MW a year ago.

The year-long rehabilitation of the power plant financed by the ADB was carried out by Japan's Marubeni Corp, Finland's Metra-owned Wartsila Diesel, and France's Bouygues.-Reuter