11 December 2007By Ros Dina
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Luc Sâr
At the end of November, Siem Reap and Banteay Meanchey provinces were connected to the Thai electricity grid. Battambang will be soon connected to this grid also. The exponential growth of tourism in Angkor explains this measure.
EGAT, Thailand’s national electricity company, provides electricity to two northwestern Cambodian provinces: Banteay Meanchey and Siem Reap. Starting since 26 November, this connection will grow even larger as the province of Batttambang will be connected to this grid soon. According to Cheam Kosen, director of the Siem Reap branch of the Cambodia Electricity Authority (CEA), this connection is the result of a convention concluded between the Cambodian and the Thai governments.
Cheam Kosen indicated that Siem Reap now has at its disposal 30 Megawatts (Mwh) of electricity. According to the electricity department officials in the province, only 16 Mwh was used between 26 and 29 November in downtown Siem Reap. This low consumption was due to mild weather condition.
15,000 consumers living in downtown Siem Reap and within a radius of 2 kilometers from downtown, use this electricity. On the other hands, the 11,500 homes in the province of Banteay Meanchey – which sees less tourists than Siem Reap – consumes less than 2.6 Mwh.
In Cambodia, the price of electricity in the provinces is higher than that in Phnom Penh due to the lack of generators and difficulties in the distribution of electricity in rural areas… Families rather wait patiently for Electricité dur Cambodge (EDC) to install the needed infrastructures covering the entire country, rather than relying on private distributors – most of the time, a single distributor in each rural area – whom they believe the cost to be too high.
“This new network will improve the living condition of the people. The price of electricity will decrease. Currently, the cost of a kilowatt comes to 1,220 riels (~$0.31),” said On Sum, the governor of Banteay Meanchey province. Sou Phirin, his colleague in Siem Reap, displays similar confidence. He declared that, recently, “numerous hotel owners have applied to use Thailand’s electricity.”
In spite of the authority’s optimism, the price decrease cannot be felt yet. However, electricity price seems to remain stable. In Siem Reap, the cost of 1 kilowatt of electricity is 870 riels (~$0.22).
“To date, I did not receive anything from the CEA to formalize a possible price change yet because we are still in a trial period,” said the director of the provincial electricity department. To find out more, Cambodge Soir Hebdo tried to reach the CEA president, but we didn’t have any luck.
According to the EDC Siem Reap office director, local companies – ASK and CTPC (Cambodia Power Transmission Lines Co. Ltd.), as well as the South Korean Sou Ching Company – manage the pwerline extension to the border line. Sou Ching also holds an authorization from the Apsara Authority to provide electricity to Zone I and II of the Angkor conservation area. Thanks to the arrival of this energy source, the Siem Reap electricity department will now be able to cover a more substantial customer base. “From now until 2012, Siem Reap will need more than 50 Mwh of electricity, because the city keeps on growing. New constructions go up like mushrooms!” Cheam Kosen said.
EGAT, Thailand’s national electricity company, provides electricity to two northwestern Cambodian provinces: Banteay Meanchey and Siem Reap. Starting since 26 November, this connection will grow even larger as the province of Batttambang will be connected to this grid soon. According to Cheam Kosen, director of the Siem Reap branch of the Cambodia Electricity Authority (CEA), this connection is the result of a convention concluded between the Cambodian and the Thai governments.
Cheam Kosen indicated that Siem Reap now has at its disposal 30 Megawatts (Mwh) of electricity. According to the electricity department officials in the province, only 16 Mwh was used between 26 and 29 November in downtown Siem Reap. This low consumption was due to mild weather condition.
15,000 consumers living in downtown Siem Reap and within a radius of 2 kilometers from downtown, use this electricity. On the other hands, the 11,500 homes in the province of Banteay Meanchey – which sees less tourists than Siem Reap – consumes less than 2.6 Mwh.
In Cambodia, the price of electricity in the provinces is higher than that in Phnom Penh due to the lack of generators and difficulties in the distribution of electricity in rural areas… Families rather wait patiently for Electricité dur Cambodge (EDC) to install the needed infrastructures covering the entire country, rather than relying on private distributors – most of the time, a single distributor in each rural area – whom they believe the cost to be too high.
“This new network will improve the living condition of the people. The price of electricity will decrease. Currently, the cost of a kilowatt comes to 1,220 riels (~$0.31),” said On Sum, the governor of Banteay Meanchey province. Sou Phirin, his colleague in Siem Reap, displays similar confidence. He declared that, recently, “numerous hotel owners have applied to use Thailand’s electricity.”
In spite of the authority’s optimism, the price decrease cannot be felt yet. However, electricity price seems to remain stable. In Siem Reap, the cost of 1 kilowatt of electricity is 870 riels (~$0.22).
“To date, I did not receive anything from the CEA to formalize a possible price change yet because we are still in a trial period,” said the director of the provincial electricity department. To find out more, Cambodge Soir Hebdo tried to reach the CEA president, but we didn’t have any luck.
According to the EDC Siem Reap office director, local companies – ASK and CTPC (Cambodia Power Transmission Lines Co. Ltd.), as well as the South Korean Sou Ching Company – manage the pwerline extension to the border line. Sou Ching also holds an authorization from the Apsara Authority to provide electricity to Zone I and II of the Angkor conservation area. Thanks to the arrival of this energy source, the Siem Reap electricity department will now be able to cover a more substantial customer base. “From now until 2012, Siem Reap will need more than 50 Mwh of electricity, because the city keeps on growing. New constructions go up like mushrooms!” Cheam Kosen said.
