Some 98 pct of Cambodia's villages electrified

December 16, 2020
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About 98 percent of the villages in Cambodia have access to electricity so far, state-run Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP) reported on Tuesday, citing a minister.

Rural electrification had seen remarkable progress after the government had 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 processes," AKP quoted Suy Sem as saying.

The ministry is preparing to provide them with power access by installing solar power system in those areas, he added.

Main electricity sources in the country are hydroelectric dams and coal-fired power plants. The kingdom has seven Chinese-built hydropower dams with a total capacity of 1,328 megawatts and three coal-fired power plants with a combined capacity of 675 megawatts.