Two districts in Kompong Cham province will begin receiving power from Vietnam in January, slashing the cost of electricity for residents, officials said.
Memot and Ponhea Krek districts will receive their power from neighboring Tay Ninh province in Vietnam, bringing the cost down from 2,000 riel ( about $0.50) per kilowatt hour to between 600 riel and 850 riel (about $0.15 and $0.21) per kilowatt hour, Electricite du Cambodge official Chan Sodavath said.
Government-run EdC, which plans to announce the new project soon, will buy power for about 316 riel ($0.08) per kilowatt hour, Chan Sodavath said. That price will vary seasonally, he said, with power costing more in the dry season.
About 10 percent of Kompong Cham’s 1.6 million people now have electricity, provincial Second Deputy Governor Mao Phirun said. The rest still rely on petroleum lamps or batteries to power their households, he said.
Kompong Cham province is split nearly in half by the Mekong River, with the eastern half isolated and less developed than the west.
