The Malaysian Business Chamber of Cambodia (MBCC) and the American Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia (AmCham) yesterday jointly organised a workshop which shone light on the potential of renewable energy in Cambodia.
The event was held at Hyatt Regency Phnom Penh in cooperation with Electricite Du Cambodge (EDC) and sponsored by Total Eren and VDB Loi.
Titled “New Opportunitunities for Renewable Energy and Grid Reinforcement in Cambodia”, it saw over 200 participants from various organisations and institutions.
The seminar featured presentations and panel discussions on Cambodia’s renewable energy sector, including the country’s outlook for a secure, sustainable energy future, investment in power grid improvement and power for industrial zones and financing renewable energy projects in the country.
The panelists were veteran experts in the fields, including Keo Rottanak, EDC Managing Director, and his deputy Praing Chulasa; Gan Boon Hean, Group CEO of Leader Energy; and Gregory Thomassic, COO of Total Eren.
Rottanak said during his opening speech that as Cambodia is developing rapidly and heading forward becoming a middle-income country by 2030, the country needs to rely more and more on sustainable energy.
“Sustainable energy is indispensable when it comes to our country continuing to grow and develop,” he said. “We celebrate this success by further committing ourselves to the net-zero goal of 2050 and continue to heighten our share of renewable energy in the total energy mix by expanding wind energy, hydropower and bio-mass.”
Anthony Galliano, AmCham President, said the heating problem of climate change pushes the world to place more importance on renewable energy more than ever.
“Climate is the greatest human threat that we’ve ever faced… and we have only until 2040 to prevent the worst impact of climate change,” he said. “Despite international treaties, mainly the Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere keeps rising at an alarming rate.”
“We must all take responsibility in reversing climate change by protecting the environment we all rely upon for living.”
Meanwhile, Oknha Tan Kee Meng, MBCC President, said it was his great pride to join hands with AmCham to be host such a meaningful event.
“Embracing renewable energy is the future of development,” he said. Many consumers, especially from the industrial sector are looking forward to investing in renewable energy.”
According to the government, Cambodia has actively integrated renewable energy sources into its energy mix since 2021. Energy from renewable sources, including hydropower, solar energy and biomass, increased to 40% of Cambodia’s total consumption. Also, in terms of Cambodia’s power capacity, around 55% was from renewable energy sources.
During the 40th ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting, Related Meetings and ASEAN Energy Business Forum 2022 held in Phnom Penh in September, Prime Minister Hun Sen said that Cambodia will continue to focus on the development of energy efficiency and renewable energy to the fullest of its energy supply system, along with the reduction of the development of energy sources that use fossil fuels, such as coal and oil.
To realise this objective, he added, Cambodia has been cooperating with development partners to study and develop Cambodia’s Power Development Master Plan until 2040, the National Policy on Energy Efficiency, the Roadmap for Clean Energy Transition towards Carbon Neutrality and the Rooftop Solar Energy Development Policy in Cambodia.