Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Cambodia has no ambition to develop nuclear power plant: PM

Posted on January 15, 2014

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Tuesday that the Southeast Asian nation has no ambition to develop a nuclear power plant, but wants to use nuclear technologies in agriculture, health, and animal breeds.

The prime minister made the remarks during a meeting with Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), at the Peace Palace in the capital Phnom Penh.

He asked the IAEA to assist the Ministry of Mines and Energy to develop human resources and to draft laws relevant to nuclear technologies.

Yukiya said his visit to Cambodia was to discover what kinds of nuclear technology applications Cambodia needs and said the agency was ready to help the country upon requests.

IAEA is the world's center of cooperation in the nuclear field. Established as the world's "Atoms for Peace" organization in 1957 by the United Nations, the agency works with worldwide member states and partners to promote safe and peaceful nuclear technologies.

Its mandate is to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health, and prosperity throughout the world. 

Source

For factory, solar power runs show

Posted on January 21, 2014


Resembling a giant Rubik’s cube under construction, the solar-powered factory in Phnom Penh’s Por Sen Chey district will be completely off the grid.

Some 1,350 solar panels, each one capable of generating 100 watts per hour of sunlight, cover the three-story building. In a few months, an indoor assembly line will start churning out a slew of products – from solar-powered tuk-tuks to solar glass panels – that mark the next step in Cambodia’s slow-to-diversify manufacturing industry.

The owners, from Australia-based technology company Star8, anticipate that in a given shift, the factory will only need about 80 per cent of the energy generated daily. …

Star8 will join the list of investors, like Japanese electronic-parts manufacturer Minebea, and Japanese auto parts manufacturer Yazaki, that represent a step forward for Cambodia’s garment-reliant manufacturing. The solar-powered tuk-tuk will be among the first products manufactured. Parts will be made in Cambodia and shipped all over the world for assembly, beginning with Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, with further expansions planned in Africa. …

Daniel de Carteret
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/factory-solar-power-runs-show