Phnom Penh (FN), June 16 - Keo Rottanak, General Director of Electricite du Cambodge (EDC), confirmed Friday in a meeting with Sihanoukville Governor Yun Min that EDC will invest US$70 million to strengthen and expand electricity supply in Sihanoukville in response to the remarkable growth of this coastal province, 230km southwest of Phnom Penh.

Keo Rattanak said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Hun Sen, economic growth skyrocketed throughout the kingdom, resulting in huge demand for electricity supply, especially in cities with economic potential such as Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, and Siem Reap.

He said that the demand for electricity in Sihanoukville has steadily increased with a current demand of about 85 megawatts supplied by Sihanoukville sub-station and Stung Hao sub-station.

The Director-General said that EDC will implement measures in two phases, including phase I: construct and expand the electricity distribution lines and electrical equipment, which will cost about US $500,000 to be able to transmit electricity from the Stung Hao sub-station with an additional 20 megawatts to Sihanoukville, to be completed by early June 2018; phase II: increase power supply in Sihanoukville sub-station with additional of 50 MW and Stung Hao with 200 MW, which will cost about US$10 million.

For the post-2020, Cambodia planned to develop a high-voltage transmission lines of 115 kilovolts and 230 kilovolts which will cost about US $ 50 million.

The Director General requested the Sihanoukville governor to support as follows (1) impose strict measures to all construction sites (digging of roads, public sewage lines...) to avoid the impacts on transmission lines; ask for cooperation from EDC in advance to avoid life-threatening injuries and power outages, which damage the whole society; (2) support all development projects of EDC on infrastructure and electricity transmission; (3) speed up the resolution for the impacts resulted from national transmission line connecting Preah Sihanouk - Phnom Penh-Koh Kong in order to strengthen electricity stability in Sihanoukville, as well as throughout the country.
=FRESH NEWS