Cambodia’s largest-ever solar power initiative, which is expected to supply electricity to 12,000 homes in off-grid regions, will be completed on January 31, said officials attached to the project.
According to Yiang Tal, administration head at the Rural Electrification Fund, over 10,000 solar home systems had already been installed in several provinces including Siem Reap, Preah Vihear and Ratanakiri as part of the World Bank-financed project.
Around 43 percent of the Kingdom is covered by licensed power suppliers, with pending licenses for another 18 percent of the nation, said the Electricity Authority of Cambodia.
While this still leaves around 40 percent of Cambodia off the electricity grid, authorities say the solar project is a means to reach off-grid areas.
“The solar home system provides access to clean power and complementary electricity services to rural households that could not be commercially connected by the grid, through off-grid options based on renewable energy resources,” said World Bank Senior Operations Officer Veasna Bun in an email.
The total cost of the 50- and 30-watt panels is around $330 and $260 for every unit respectively, but a subsidy worth $100 reduces the sale price to around $230 and $160 per unit, said Veasna Bun.
Customers will be given four years to pay the costs of the panel; they will pay around $4.80 and $3.30 per month for 50- and 30-watt panels, respectively, said Yiang Tal.
The contract bid for the project went to Laos firm Sunlabob, which had provided materials and supervised installation in the previous three months, said Yiang Tal, adding that the panel’s total purchasing cost stood at $4 million.
The project was part of Cambodia’s bigger plan to supply electricity to all homes by 2030, said Yiang Tal.
“We’ve implemented only the first phase in these seven provinces,” he said. “We will continue to implement this project, and are looking for funding.”
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