Portable Solar Pump, Made in Cambodia for local farmers

Recently under S-RET project under Ministry of Agriculture funded by IFAD, to support the test of any renewable energy technologies, EcoSun Cambodia has initiated and tested a small portable solar pump for local farmers. After a half year of testing, it was improved sereral times to suit the read demand for local farmers, especially for those who currently grow vegetable and crops with around 2000sqm, now it was veyr succesfull, and all farmers are very happy with the system. So, soon this system will start selling in the market with very special price.

 Below are some pictures of the system:

Phnom Penh city 1965

This is to show Phnom Penh city during the decade of 1960s, when Cambodia was among the high development country .

(Video) The believes: burie a motor with a dead people

ពិធីបុណ្យកប់សព បងប្អូនជនជាតិចារ៉ាយភូមិប៉ក់តូច ឃុំប៉ក់ញ៉ៃ ស្រុកអូរយ៉ាដាវខេត្តរតនគិរី កប់ទាំងម៉ូតូហ្មង 

This believe was by an Ethnic Minority Group of people in Ratanakiri, in Cambodia. But this is not referred to all people in the group.

How to lift 5000L water storage tank with manpower?

This is part of solar water pump at Kratie, Cambodia under the project of NAPA, need to lift by human power.

Wind power experiences in Cambodia

Wind energy is a renewable energy source, however Cambodia is not very popular, due to wind resource is low.

This video was the experiences under the project funded by UNDP to supply water for rural farmers.

Stop child abuse, real case in Cambodia​ (Video), the worst case in the 2016

By EcoSun Cambodia: Date: 11 Dec 16:

This is the worst case of child abuse with both physical and psychological abuse against ethnic Khmer people in Mondulkiri province. It was happened since the last two months, around October 2016, but the video was spread out recently. Three Cambodian were caught as they related to the case and a Vietnamese in the Video was escaped to his country.

On 6th Dec 16, he was caught by Vietnam local authority. Now, Cambodian authority requested to take him to judge by Cambodia law, but now no further information from Vietnam authority yet.

So, those who have small kids should not allow staying at home alone or going with someone who you just know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tve5ypqf45E

ឪពុកប្រហែសបណ្ដាលឲ្យកូនធ្លាក់ចូលកាំកង់ម៉ូតូ

តាមប្រភពពី ប្រទេសឡាវបានអោយដឹងថា​ ឪពុកដែលបានអោយកូនជិះម៉ូតូពីក្រោយ ដោយមិនបានមើលអោយច្បាស់ មុនធ្វើដំណើរ។

នេះជាការ​ធ្វេសប្រហែស​ចំពោះឪពុកម្ដាយ​​ដែលបណ្ដាយឲ្យកូនជាទីស្រលាញ់ធ្លាក់ចូលកាំកង់ម៉ូតូ ស្រែកឈឺចាប់យ៉ាង​វេទនា​បំផុត! សូមមេត្តាប្រយ័ត្នកូនផងបាទដើម្បី​សុវត្ថិភាព​កូនៗយើង។​​

This guy caught a large fish on the Mekong in Cambodia

Mr. Seang Vun lives in Koh Pdao village, Kompong Cham commune, Sambod district, Kratei province of Cambodia. He caught a large fish, 19kg from the Mekong nearby his village during a boat trip from a local market. It was in 2007. 

Japan donates $1.1 million to tribunal

The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. Reuters

Japan, the Khmer Rouge tribunal’s largest donor to date, has contributed a further $1.12 million to its international component, the tribunal said on Tuesday in a statement.
 

The donation brings Japan’s total contribution to both the national and international components of the tribunal to $85 million, or 32 percent of total donor contributions.
 

“On behalf of the ECCC [Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia], we would like to express our sincere appreciation for the continuous and significant financial contributions and support offered by the government of Japan.
 

“This new assistance is crucial for the ECCC to complete its mandate, without interruption in the judicial proceedings,” Tony Kranh, the tribunal’s acting director of administration, and Knut Rosandhaug, the deputy director of administration, said jointly in the statement.
 

According to the tribunal’s March 2016 financial outlook, it has so far spent a total of  $261.3 million since it began operations in 2006.
 

After Japan, the US is the second-largest foreign donor, having contributed $27 million, followed by Australia with $25 million, as of March this year. Cambodia is the fourth-largest donor, having contributed $23 million to the tribunal’s national component, as of March, followed by Germany and the European Union, which have contributed $14.5 and $15 million respectively.
 

According to the tribunal’s 2017 budget, its international component will need $20 million to operate, while its national component will need $6.4 million.
 

In a recent statement, the government pledged to donate $4.15 million for the tribunal’s national component next year, urging the UN to raise funds to cover the deficit.

Source: http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/32642/japan-donates--1-1-million-to-tribunal/

Deeper water expected to yield more fish

Thu, 24 November 2016

Cheng Sokhorng

Just weeks ahead of the main fishing season on the Tonle Sap river, which supplies the majority of the fish used in the Kingdom’s traditional cooking sauce, prahok, government officials are predicting a better catch this season as water levels have recovered from last year’s drought.

Eng Chea San, director-general of fisheries administration at the Ministry of Agriculture, said this year’s haul from capture fisheries should increase by 20,000 tonnes, while aquaculture yields could grow by up to 20 percent.

“We expect that the fish yield will increase compared to last year, as water levels are higher and stable,” he said yesterday.

Last year, Cambodian freshwater capture fisheries and aquaculture produced 751,000 tonnes of fish. The Tonle Sap river and lake contributed more than half of this total.

Fisheries administration official Ouch Vutha agreed that higher water levels this year were a good portend for the upcoming season, especially after a prolonged drought led to a precipitous drop in last year’s production.

“This year the river levels have risen, so we expect that the fish yield will be good for prahok,” he said.

In July, the government granted 92 dai, or bag net, permits for the Tonle Sap river. Vutha said the permits cover 14 river rows, a measurement used to make sure that the bag nets do not clog up river transport lanes and are placed to capture the flow of water. The primary fishing locations are in Phnom Penh, and in Kandal and Prey Veng provinces, he said.

Keo Vitou, chief of Ponhea Leu district fisheries administration in Kandal province, said fisherman have been preparing their nets since October, but the big catch is not expected until next month, and run until sometime in January. In Kandal province alone 10 rows have been set up with 42 dai permits.

“Some dai owners started collecting fish in October in order to make a profit, however the real profit is yet to begin as farmers wait for the next full moon cycle,” he explained, referring to the lunar phase that gives the best yields.

Vitou added that the government had closely monitored which areas to grant fishing permits and that the cost of the permit was based on the best seasonal locations.

Vitou said that last year, the fish yield in Kandal province was 5,200 tonnes, a 50 percent decline from 2014.

Loa Sreang, a dai owner in Kandal province who has been fishing on the Tonle Sap river for the last 10 years, said that he paid $5,000 and $18,000 to secure two locations along the river.

“I paid different prices in different locations because I am looking to collect the most fish,” he said. “If the season is good and the government continues to crack down on illegal fishing, I hope that I will make a good profit.”

He estimated that last year he lost around $20,000 during the peak prahok season due to the impact of the drought.

Source: http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/deeper-water-expected-yield-more-fish

Forest protection saves village

People from the Oum Saom community gather for a meeting. KT/Pav Suy

The story of the Oum Saom forestry community in Kampong Thom province is one that has been told in various forms hundreds of times in Cambodia: local residents locked in a seemingly never-ending battle against a company aiming to cut down their local forest and open plantations.

But contrary to how most of these situations end, the members of the Oum Saom community managed to secure a happy ending for themselves, forcing out the company and receiving all of their land back, allowing them to continue using the natural resources in the area that they have lived in for decades.

This happy ending did not occur without a fight though. Members of Sala Visai village, where Ou Saom forest is located, fought with the company – an acacia and rubber production group owned by prominent tycoon An Marady – for almost a decade after the firm bought a 308-hectare economic land concession in the area in 2004.

“In 2004, the company was about to clear the land to make way for acacia and rubber plantations. They deployed the excavators and bulldozers, but the villagers kept resisting by protesting,” community leader Chhoun Chhorn said.

“Because of our protests, there was an intervention from the district and provincial authority and the company decided to concede this remaining land to the community,” he said.

Mr. Chhorn added that although the land was within the economic land concession the government had granted to the company, the villagers had been living and working in the forest for such a long time that it was granted back to them.

Kampong Thom cantonment forestry administration official Kann Vutha said the land was given to the community in 2013.

“The government officially put the land under community management in 2013,” he said.

He added that there will be an agreement on the structure for more sophisticated preservation and management of the forest.

“In two weeks’ time, we will sign an agreement with the community to lay out the structure and plan to make better protection of the forest, including making an audit of the forest,” he said.

The community did not get the land back on their own though, securing backing and help from the European Union-funded Mlup Baitong Organization.

Now, 95 percent of the 322 families in the village work in agriculture in the area and collect natural products from the forest after years when almost half the village lived on only $1 per day.

Om Sophana, the deputy director of Mlup Baitong, works closely with community members and said forest preservation was benefiting the community as a whole. Their investment in the forest would pay off even more once the government officially created a preservation area.

“We will have the signing of the agreement to get official recognition from the forestry administration to preserve the forest,” he said.

“The villagers can collect non-timber forest products, including honey from bees, vegetables and fruit to sell at the market and make a living. We need to protect the remaining forest. If we don’t, it will all be gone.”

The community will be allowed to remove some trees for sale, but they will be strictly in line with preservation guidelines and renovation rules, Mr. Sophana said.

Mr. Chhorn said that since the land had come under the control of community members, they have seen little to no forestry crime.

“We go in groups of five or six and patrol the area. We do it only during the day because no one comes at night to cut the wood. We rarely catch loggers. When we catch them, we just arrest them and educate them,” he said.

“In serious cases, we call the forestry administration officials to take action.”

EU ambassador to Cambodia George Edgar lauded the project and said the success of the community was evidence that more efforts like this were needed to be made to protect the country’s forests.

“The support to the community forest management project is another example of the EU’s commitment to work with Cambodia in the management of its natural resources,” he said.

“As one of Cambodia’s key development partners, I am delighted to see that project beneficiaries’ lives have improved and that they are now able to enjoy their rights to land and to food.”

Source: http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/32690/forest-protection-saves-village/

Giant rare fish caught by local people along Mekong, Kratie Cambodia in around 2007, it was died after taking out from the water. 

GE to help electrify Cambodia

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   23 November 2016
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A partnership with General Electric (GE), the Boston-based American multinational conglomerate, will be the best way forward for Cambodia to meet its 2035 goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by three million tons annually and electrifying 100 percent of rural areas, representatives from the company and the US ambassador told a workshop at the Ministry of Mines and Energy yesterday.

President of GE’s Asean division Wouter Van Wersch stated that the company was ideally positioned to deliver what the government needs, due to its diverse energy portfolio.

“We not only see the opportunity for GE to contribute to Cambodia’s infrastructure in power generation, power transmission, but also in healthcare and the aviation sector,” Mr. Van Wersch said. “We will support Cambodia with our best and latest technology, by improving the productivity and efficiency of equipment that will ultimately help to reduce the cost of electricity and also to reduce the emission impact on the environment.”

“We will work with the Ministry of Mines and Energy to increase power capacity in the country, and we want to invest more to [bring] the right technology and increase the [technical] capacity of the Cambodian people. We will bring the best technology available,” he added.

US Ambassador William Heidt also voiced his support of GE’s technical expertise.

“For the last 15 years, Cambodia has made huge progress expanding the power grid to rural areas and delivering more reliable and cheaper power. GE will present new technology and solutions on power to Cambodia. The workshop today is a concrete example of how the US business community can contribute to sustainable economic development here in Cambodia,” he said.

The Minister for Mines and Energy Suy Sem stressed at the workshop that Cambodia was facing increasing energy demands, both in the public and private sectors. He also highlighted the government’s efforts in connecting rural Cambodia to the national grid.

“The government is working on big power transmission lines to connect with all areas across the country, and to develop reliable sources of electricity at affordable prices for the Cambodian people,” said Mr. Sem.  

There are 14,073 villages nationwide and by 2020, the government expects to install electricity lines in all of them. The government also has a target of providing electricity to 70 percent of all households nationwide by 2030.

About 85 percent of Cambodian people live in rural areas and the country has no indigenous sources of fossil fuel. Over 84 percent of primary energy is created by fuel wood, according to reports. Rechargeable car batteries are normally used in rural areas for basic lighting and powering radios and small televisions.

Victor Jona, director-general of energy at the ministry noted that so far 15 provinces had been connected to the power grid, with three more major lines coming online in the next two years. He spoke of his desire that GE will be able to further assist in the ministry’s efforts.

In addition to electricity imports from Thailand, Vietnam and Laos, Mr. Jona said that Cambodia has six hydroelectric plants in operation, and one coal-powered plant. He stressed that energy prices for consumers had greatly fallen in recent years, with rural consumers paying about 600 riel ($0.15) per kilowatt/hour, down from $0.50 a few years ago.

Source: http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/32285/ge-to-help-electrify-cambodia/

Gov’t Meets With Landlords to Discuss New Electricity Scheme

BY SEK ODOM | JANUARY 20, 2015

Less than a week after Prime Minister Hun Sen announced plans to reduce the price that migrant workers in Phnom Penh pay for electricity, the municipality hosted 12 public forums Monday to discuss a new payment scheme to be overseen by state operator Electricite du Cambodge (EdC).

In an effort to prevent landlords from profiting off the resale of electricity to their tenants, the government plans to outfit tens of thousands of rented rooms in the city with its own electricity meters, with renters paying between 610 and 820 riel ($0.15 to $0.20) per kWh directly to the EdC.

Landlords currently install their own meters and are allowed to set their own rates—often well above what they are charged by the electricity firm—for the electricity being used in their buildings.

At a public meeting with more than 200 building owners in Sen Sok district, Im Sophan, the head of EdC in the district, said the new meters will be installed throughout the city in the coming months.

“We are waiting for the meters to arrive from Thailand. There are 30,000 to 40,000 meters that will arrive in about two months,” he said.

A number of landlords at the meeting said the plan was flawed, as neither building owners nor tenants could afford to foot the bill for the new equipment.

Than Phearom, 36, a landlord in Phnom Penh Thmei commune, said workers would not be able to pay the security deposit of about $7.50 that the EdC would require from tenants.

“How will the worker deposit 30,000 riel to the EdC when they can barely buy rice for only 1,000 riel a day?” Mr. Phearom asked.

At another meeting in Russei Keo district between EdC representatives and more than 400 property owners, landlords also aired their objections.

“The EdC should not change anything,” said Sok Ny, an apartment building owner. “I will only take a little bit, not the same as in the past.”

....read more: https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/govt-meets-with-landlords-to-discuss-new-electricity-scheme-76419/

Source: Cambodia Daily!

Unions wary of energy plan

Fri, 30 January 2015 Sarah Taguiam and Pech Sotheary

An electricity notice sits on the wall next to power metres at a garment worker’s residence yesterday in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district. Pha Lina

Some labour unions are suggesting reforms to state energy provider Electricite du Cambodge’s (EdC) plan to grant energy discounts to garment workers in Phnom Penh, saying yesterday that the current arrangement is “too complex to implement”.

More than two weeks ago, EdC announced that it will lower electricity costs to alleviate the financial burden on impoverished workers after they complained about homeowners charging staggering prices ranging from 1,000 to 2,500 riel ($0.25 to $0.62) per kilowatt.

According to the new plan, workers are entitled to pay a lower fixed price of 610 riel ($0.15) per kilowatt for electricity consumed under 50 kilowatts a month. Electricity beyond that, however, will be subjected to public prices.

To enforce the $2-million plan, EdC was supposed to have installed new connections yesterday in rental spaces in three districts heavily populated by garment workers, said director-general Keo Rattanak in a recorded video clip last week.

The districts are Russei Keo, Meanchey and Dangkor.

EdC will bypass homeowners and draw up independent contracts with workers, charging them directly to avoid any price manipulation.

But unions are dubious.

“We really appreciate that the government announced this policy, but it just doesn’t sound realistic enough to implement,” said CLEC labour program head Moeun Tola.

C.CAWDU president Ath Thorn agreed, saying “some workers don’t have necessary documents to register for contracts and lack the time to pay the bill separately from their current utilities”.

Thorn also added that around 20 per cent of C.CAWDU’s members are unwilling to pay the 35,000 riels fee to install the new electric cables and counters.

To simplify the process, both labour leaders suggested that EdC let homeowners manage the payments and penalise landlords who charge beyond the fixed price.

Currently, most homeowners, according to Thorn, oppose the new initiative but have been told by EdC that they are obligated to comply with government policy.

“We will compromise with the homeowners to make this project successful,” said Long Dimanche, spokesman for Phnom Penh’s city hall, which is helping with implementation.

EdC officials will meet with homeowners from Monday to Sunday in the next few weeks to straighten out any outstanding issues, Rattanak said.

Kim Tay Factory garment worker Kit Meng said that the discounts are good, “but we’re worried that now the homeowners might overcharge water prices or increase rent to make up for their loss of money in electricity, so officials really need to negotiate with them”.

EdC could not be reached for comment.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY KHOUTH SOPHAK CHAKRYA

Source: Phnom Penh Post

Why solar? why thin film?

Output of Solar Modules: a-Si vs Mono c-Si
		In high temperature climates such as desert regions where the sun’s rays are its strongest, amorphous silicon clearly generates more energy.
		Amorphous based thin flim solar cells generate energy over a longer period throughout the day. During peak load hours of utillty plants when electricity rates peak, a-Si also outperforms crystalline based cells.
Thin Film is the Future Key Advantages of Thin Film:
Significantly lower energy consumed during production compared to poly-crystalline approach Thin Film modules can outperform crystalline based modules in extreme weather conditions such as dimmer light and higher temperature weather Transparent characteristics suitable for BIPV applications Amorphous silicon modules generate more electricity per unit of installed capacity than do crystalline silicon modules
Cautions on Crystalline Production Polysilicon production is complex, consumes a high amount of electricity, and has environmental impacts
“It takes 10 kg of polysilicon to produce a solar panel with a capacity of one kilowatt” “A factory must burn more than 40kg of coal to produce a crystalline based panel – one metre by 1.5 metres” “Almost 30 million tonnes of coal or more than 1% of the mainland’s output of coal last year, will be needed to keep the ovens of all the polysilicon plants hot” “Leshan is one of the handful of cities to have imported polysilicon production lines – using a handheld device - found more than 10 poisonous substances from ammonia to trichlorosilane - workplace rated highly hazardous” Original: (Stephen Chan, SCMP, September 10, 2009)

Monster of the Mekong

Sat, 21 June 2014, Tom Fawthrop

 

It will be a giant, stretching across the mighty Mekong River. Standing 32.6 metres tall and 820m wide, the $3.8 billion Xayaburi dam in Laos could supply electricity to more than three quarters of a million homes in Thailand. And when it’s completed in 2019, it will be the most controversial power project in the region. Since the plan was released in 2010 to construct the hydroelectric plant, geologists and environmentalists have voiced concerns about safety and the effects the mega-dam will have on neighbours Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand. They have highlighted the risks of seismic activity in the area and the threat to the fishing industry on the 3,100-mile long (4,900 kilometres) Mekong River, which flows from the Tibetan steppes into southern China on its way to Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

“Previous earthquakes near the Xayaburi dam site should have served as a warning for Laos and the Thai dam company,” said Ame Trandem, the Southeast Asia programme director for the conservation group International Rivers. “It is completely irresponsible to push forward with a project located in a seismically unpredictable zone.”

During the past seven years, the area around the Xayaburi dam project has been shaken by earthquakes. A 6.9 magnitude quake hit Shan state in Myanmar. A 4.6 tremor only 48 kilometres away from the proposed project was recorded in 2007, while a 6.3 convulsion was reported in the Xayaburi area in the same year.
Naturally, this has alarmed Dr Punya Charusiri, who heads earthquake studies at Chulalongkorn University’s Department of Geology. The Thai scientist has identified an active fault close to Xayaburi town about 30km from the site. “I am worried that many people from the town would be affected. But I am not able to predict how much damage would be done to the dam itself, which is built on an ‘inactive fault’,” he said.
The risk factor is certainly there. During the 7.9 magnitude earthquake in Sichaun, China in 2008, the walls of the Zipingu dam were badly damaged and came close to unleashing a second disaster of epic proportions.
“In a worse case scenario, if a [major] earthquake happened right under the [Xayaburi] dam, then nobody knows,” said Dr Sampan Singharajwaranpan, a seismologist and the dean of sciences at Chiang Mai University.

Safety, of course, is not the only concern. Fears are growing about the impact on the environment and ecology of the region when the Xayaburi dam, one of nine hydropower plants planned by the Laos government, is up and running. More than 30 million people in Cambodia and Vietnam rely on the Mekong River for their livelihoods. Rice and fish exports could be threatened in the inland waterways, which generate up to $3.9bn in revenue a year, equivalent to a quarter of the world’s annual catch.

Up to 40 species, such as the giant catfish, are under further threats from the dam, according to a report commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). “Mortality is likely if fish pass through dam turbines [and] . . . the cumulative impacts of the dam are a serious threat,” said Zeb Hogan, an associate research professor at the University of Nevada in the US, and author of the report. “A fish the size of a Mekong giant catfish will simply not be able to swim across a large barrier like a dam to reach the spawning grounds.”

A fish trader waits for customers.

The Cambodian government is also anxious to avoid fish stocks being damaged. This in turn could lead to dietary problems if the industry is badly hit. “[Fish provide] 76 per cent of animal intake, 37 per cent of protein intake, 37 per cent of iron intake and 28 per cent of fats intake of the Cambodian population,” a study by the Cambodian Fisheries Administration (CFA), a government body, revealed.

Nao Thuok, the director of the CFA, underlined Cambodia’s concerns when he said the “protection of fisheries in the Mekong should be regarded as an issue of national security”. The stakes are so high, a joint declaration, released in March, from 39 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and Australia set a one year deadline for the Laos and Thailand governments to scrap the project. “There is still essentially one year left to stop the dam as construction on the Xayaburi [power project’s] final dam across the Mekong River will begin in 2015,” said Trandem of International Rivers.

As the clock ticks down, the pressure is building on CH. Karnchang, the Thai group that will construct the dam, and partner Poyry Energy, part of the Finnish-based international engineering company and consultants Poyry. The Thai government has also been dragged into the dispute after agreeing to buy 95 per cent of the electricity generated at the hydropower plant.

One major concern aired by independent geologists has been the lack of transparency from CH. Karnchang and Poyry Energy about crucial seismic studies. Te Navuth, the secretary general of Cambodia’s National Mekong Committee, had called for “an independent research team [to] assess the risk of earthquakes and dam safety” back in 2011.

Two years after construction began, the Mekong River Commission (MRC) received “[a] seismic hazard assessment” which was drafted by Poyry Energy and AF Consult, the Swiss company based in Zurich. The MRC referred the “assessment” to an independent expert, but so far the Cambodian government has yet to see the report.

Images of shattered buildings from the 6.9 magnitude earthquake that struck Tarlay in the Shan state in Myanmar in 2011.

“The seismic hazard at the Xayaburi dam site has been studied thoroughly and the dam, the powerhouse, and the spillway will be designed against earthquakes, according to the latest seismic design guidelines prepared by the International Commission on Large Dams [ICOLD],” said Dr Martin Wieland, the managing Director of Poyry Energy.

Critics of the project have expressed disquiet about ICOLD and claimed that it is not an independent research body, but a forum for the dam engineering lobby largely funded by hydropower companies. Dr Wieland, of Poyry, is also chairman of the committee on Seismic Aspects of Dam Design for ICOLD in charge of seismic guidelines.

“The CH. Karnchang people assumed that the faults closest to the dam-site are inactive, and so they believe it is quite safe,” said Dr Punya, who has also worked for the CH. Karnchang group. “But there is an active fault and it is located within a 30km radius. Construction should never have been started before the research into the danger has been completed.”

As the row continues, regional government heavyweights have warned of the dangers ahead if the Xayaburi project is completed. “We have to protect our interests,” said Lim Kean Hor, the Minister of Water Resources and Meteorology in the Cambodian government. “We will not allow [construction] if there will be a serious impact.”

Just like the huge scale of the Xayaburi hydropower plant, the arguments against the project have grown from a trickle to a tidal wave. What happens next could change the course of the Mekong River for generations to come.
 

Original text: Phnom Penh Post

Residents left in dark again

Fri, 13 June 2014, Sen David and Stuart White

 

A phone shop in Kab Ko market uses a petrol generator during a power outage in Phnom Penh yesterday.

Residents in the vicinity of Kab Ko market in Phnom Penh’s Chamkarmon district found themselves fumbling in the dark yet again yesterday on the second consecutive day of hours-long power outages.
According to locals, electricity to the street failed around noon on Wednesday and was restored at about 10pm that night, only to fail again around noon yesterday, driving down trade and serving as a general headache for residents and business owners alike.

“The electricity is very important to make a living,” jewellery vendor Chan Vanta said. “I need light for my business as a gold seller to attract the customers, but for two days there have been few customers coming to look … and buy some jewellery.”

Sitting in a still, dark, empty dining room, the owner of the usually popular Phsar Kabko restaurant agreed.
“After the electricity was cut … there were fewer customers,” he said. “Right now the days are very hot, and customers need a fan.”

The restaurateur, who asked to be identified only as Mean, said he had been forced to resort to iceboxes to keep his produce and drinks cold after the power outage killed his refrigerators, but the run on ice that ensued after the outage made it hard to find.

The blackout was also causing problems on the home front, resident Sam That said.
“We need a fan, air conditioning and light to live, because it is too hot, and we need electricity for my daughter to study, use the internet and watch TV,” she said. “We heard about an EdC [Electricité du Cambodge] release, but we can’t do anything.”

An official at EdC who declined to be named would not comment in detail, but offered a statement pertaining to construction in Por Sen Chey and Meanchey districts, among others. Due to interconnected power grids, work being done there could have an effect elsewhere in the city, the official said.

“The EdC would like to inform the public that EdC will … remove some lines for road expansion construction, so [power in] some areas in Phnom Penh will be off until 14 June,” the statement reads. “We hope that the public will be aware and forgive us.”

Original text:

Phnom Penh City Hall Hoping to Turn Garbage Into Electricity

By Ben Sokhean and Simon Henderson | June 9, 2014

The Phnom Penh Municipal Government on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Inter Far East Engineering Public Company Limited of Thailand to study the feasibility of turning the city’s waste into energy, according to a notice posted on the municipality’s website.

Mean Chanyada, the city’s deputy director of administration, said in the statement that the amount of garbage collected each day across Phnom Penh was expected to jump from 1,300 tons now to 2,000 tons by 2018.
“The quantity of garbage that has increased in Phnom Penh at the present has made problems and will affect the city environment if we don’t pay attention,​” he said.

City Hall spokesman Long Dimanche said the MOU was a preliminary agreement for study and research and that the city hoped to find another five companies—or more—whose proposals would all be compared.
At Thursday’s MOU signing, Far East Engineering director Wichai Thavormwa Thanayon said the company’s plan would be groundbreaking.

“This MOU is a pioneer for recycling the garbage to electricity so that 200 tons of waste could be used to create five megawatts of electricity each day,” he said, according to the statement.

Inter Far East Engineering Public Company Limited has only recently moved into the alternative energy business. In April, it acquired True Energy Power Lopburi Company Limited, which operates a biomass power plant in Thailand’s Lopburi province with a capacity of 6.8 MW.

Thailand, however, offers considerable tax breaks to companies investing in renewable energy projects, something Phnom Penh City Hall has so far failed to do, said Yang Saing Koma, president of local agricultural NGO Cedac.

“Phnom Penh’s garbage problem is a serious one, so it is a positive to find ways to solve it. But so far, [City Hall] has struggled to encourage enterprises into recycling projects such as composting and biomass,” he said.

“If they wish to replicate what is happening in Thailand, they need to offer similar concessions such as tax incentives.”

Original text

Japan firm buys share of new power plant

Wed, 4 June 2014, Hor Kimsay

 

In what looks to be a concerted push into the Southeast Asian energy sector, Japanese import and export conglomerate Marubeni Corporation has acquired a large stake of Cambodia’s power generation infrastructure.

In a Tokyo Stock Exchange filing dated June 2, Marubeni announced it had purchased a 20 per cent share of Malaysian firm, Leader Infrastructure Limited.

Leader Infrastructure operates Cambodia’s only 100-megawatt, coal-fired power plant in Preah Sihanouk province as well as a transmission network under subsidiaries Cambodia Energy Limited (CEL) and Cambodia Transmission Limited (CTL).

The power plant, which cost more than $195 million to build, began operations in February.
“Marubeni will contribute positively towards the operation of CEL/CTL and indirectly contribute towards the reliable power supply in Cambodia,” the Marubeni statement states.

“Marubeni envisages expanding its power business in Cambodia utilising its extensive knowledge and experience from its worldwide participation in the power industry.”

It’s the first time a Japanese company has entered Cambodia’s energy market, according to the statement.
It comes less than a week after Marubeni also announced it had entered a $977 million joint venture agreement with Tokyo Electric Power Co to expand an existing coal-fired power plant located in Pagbilao, the Philippines.

Hiroshi Suzuki, chief economist at Business Research Institute for Cambodia (BRIC), said he hoped Marubeni’s investment will bring know-how to Cambodia’s power sector.

“I hope the Marubeni’s participation encourages future large scale investments into Cambodia’s power sector,” he told the Post yesterday.

“[But] the size of Cambodia’s power sector market is not big enough to attract many [more] investment projects,” Suzuki added.

Suzuki also said Marubeni’s investment alone would not solve Cambodia’s power-related issues, such as the unstable supply and the high cost of electricity.

Leader Infrastructure received a 33-year build-operate-transfer land concession from the Cambodian government in 2010 for the Preah Sihanouk power plant project – three years for construction and 30 years for operation before handing the plant back over to the state.
 

Source: Phnom Penh Post