Cambodia gets the pollution, Thailand gets the electricity ... thanks to CPP land-thief Ly Yong Phal

Koh Kong power to go to Thais

Thursday, 29 March 2012
Don Weinland and May Kunmakara
The Phnom Penh Post

Thailand’s Ratchaburi probably sought the venture in Cambodia because of the scrutiny such a project would attract at home, Suzuki Hiroshi, CEO and chief economist at the Business Research Institute for Cambodia, said yesterday.

“[Thailand] has received very strong criticism from environmentalists on projects like this,” he said, adding that the Cambodian government should conduct a proper environmental impact assessment for the plant.

Cambodian tycoon Ly Yong Phat has signed a US$3 billion joint-venture agreement with Thai energy firm Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Plc on what would be the Kingdom’s largest power station.

Just under 90 per cent of the power, however, would be sold to Thailand. The 1,800 megawatt coal-fired plant, to be built in Koh Kong province, would sell 1,600 megawatts to the Kingdom’s western neighbour, Ly Yong Phat said by phone yesterday.

Construction would start in as soon as two months, and the newly formed joint venture, KK Power, was in negotiations with Thai officials on the price at which the power would be sold, said Ly Yong Phat, now the JV’s CEO. He declined to comment on the company’s ownership structure. “We already agreed in principle with the Thai side, but now the problem is negotiations on tariffs and linkage,” he said.

The Cambodia People’s Party senator and founder of LYP Group has stakes in hotels, entertainment, utilities, plantations and other interests in Koh Kong.

Backing sought for coal-fired power plant

Wednesday, 08 February 2012
Don Weinland
The Phnom Penh Post

A Thai energy firm has completed a study for a 1,800-megawatt coal power plant in Koh Kong province, and had asked for Prime Minister Hun Sen's support in furthering the project, government officials confirmed yesterday.

The plant would be the largest power generator in the energy-starved Kingdom.

Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding would conduct an environmental impact assessment on the plant, Hun Sen's personal assistant, Eang Sophalleth, said on Monday after the prime minister met Ratchaburi chief executive Nopal Milin Thang Goon at the Peace Palace.

Thailand, Cambodia to establish power plant working group

PHNOM PENH, Dec 30 (MCOT online news) - Thailand and Cambodia are to establish a working group to facilitate cooperation for the Stung Num hydropower plant and a coal-fired power plant on Koh Kong after both countries agreed on electricity sharing.

Thailand’s Minister of Energy Pichai Naripthaphan and Minister of Foreign Affairs Surapong Tovichakchaikul were officially visiting Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen Thursday when the Cambodian leader raised the issue.

Mr Pichai said the matter had been on hold due to political problems between the two nations.

According to Mr Pichai, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) was assigned to discuss with Cambodia in detail, as it is to purchase power as stated in the existing agreement.

Coal Plant Stirs Passions in Cambodia

Chhith Sam Ath, the executive director of the NGO Forum on Cambodia, says a proposed coal plant has not been properly vetted for environmental impacts. (NGO Forum)

November 25, 2009
By SIMON MARKS
The New York Times

Last week, executives from Leader Universal Holdings, a Malaysian company angling to build Cambodia’s largest coal-fired power plant, met with Cambodian government officials and environmentalists to discuss the company’s impact analysis for the proposed 100-megawatt facility.

There was little in the way of agreement.

The Cambodian government’s power development plan for the next decade includes the construction of nine hydroelectric dams and nine coal plants. Once operational, they will provide Cambodia with more than 3,000 megawatts of energy.

The government favors such large-scale projects, arguing it is the only affordable means for large-scale electricity generation.

Environmentalists, meanwhile, favor a decentralized energy system, where solar power, micro-hydropower stations and biomass gasifiers, for example, could help satisfy demand.

They also argued that a plant like the one planned by Leader Universal could wreak havoc on air quality and vastly increase the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.

“Particle pollution such as soot is one of the most deadly forms of air pollution,” said Chhith Sam Ath, the executive director of NGO Forum, an association for local and international non-governmental organizations working in Cambodia. “The soot can also cause acidification of waters, depleted soil nutrients and the destruction of forests and crops.”

Mr. Sam Ath also said the company’s environmental impact statement overlooked other areas, including wastewater disposal and specific numbers on how much carbon dioxide the plant would emit.

“As CO2 emissions are one of the leading contributors to climate change, the plant should study the amount of CO2 that will be emitted and be required to use the latest ‘clean coal’ technologies,” he said.

Company officials, however, said the plant would comply with all the safety and environmental specifications set out by international bodies like the World Bank. They also said emissions and wastewater would have minimal impact on local communities, given the $3.6 million the company had set aside for mitigation efforts during the first year.

The company also suggested that large-scale power plants were the only way to accommodate Cambodia’s growing energy demand.

“To be practical, a decentralized energy system will not provide enough energy,” said one Leader Holdings executive, who did not want to be named because he was not authorized to speak by company officials. “Coal is the most economic way to generate power at this point.”

Jeroen Verschelling, the director of Kamworks, a solar energy company in Phnom Penh, disagreed, saying that Cambodia’s rising demand could easily be offset by greater efficiency.

“The first thing you need to do is see if you really need the energy,” Mr. Verschelling said. “A lot if energy is simply wasted.”

[Malaysia's] Leader to build [coal-fired] power plant in [Sihanoukville] Cambodia

2009/06/12
Business Times (Malaysia)

LEADER Universal Holdings Bhd subsidiary, Leader (Cambodia) Ltd has signed a joint venture agreement with Cambodia International Investment Development Group Co Ltd to build a power plant in Cambodia.

The 100MW coal-fired power plant will be built in Sihanoukville, Leader told Bursa yesterday. The companies are also working on a deal to build a coal-fired power plant there.

M'sia Leader Universal to build 200 MW coal-fired power plant in Cambodia to produce electricity for sale to EDC

Leader signs 30-year PPA in Cambodia

28-03-2008
The Edge Daily (Malaysia)

KUALA LUMPUR: Leader Universal Holdings Bhd’s upcoming 200MW coal-fired power plant in Cambodia will supply electricity to state-owned Electricite du Cambodge (EDC) under a 30-year power purchase agreement (PPA).

Leader told Bursa Malaysia it had also signed an implementation agreement with the Cambodian Industry, Mines and Energy Ministry for the project. The deals were inked yesterday.

“Discussions are still ongoing with the turnkey contractor on the engineering, procurement and construction works. The financial adviser is also in the midst of making the necessary arrangement on the project financing,” Leader said.

Both agreements followed a joint venture (JV) deal between Leader and MKCSS Holdings Co Ltd in November 2006 to bid for the electricity project in Sihanoukville.

The Cambodian government had awarded the job to both companies in February 2007, and subsequently a JV company, Power Synergy Corporation Co Ltd (PSC), was formed to undertake the project.

Under the PPA, PSC will build four 50MW coal-fired electricity generators, and a double-circuit 230 kV transmission line. The base tariff has been fixed at US$0.07212 (23 sen) per kilowatt-hours with indexation.