Work on Chinese-invested hydropower plant in Cambodia goes smoothly

KOH KONG, Cambodia, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- Construction work on a Chinese-invested Cambodia Upper Tatay Hydropower Station, with a designed capacity of 150-megawatts (MWs) has been 31.5 percent completed so far, officials said on Thursday.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian presided over the river closing ceremony for the construction of the hydropower station held near the dam site in Thmar Baing district, with more than 1,000 participants.

Speaking at the event, Hun Manet said that the project, invested by the China National Heavy Machinery Corporation (CHMC), is a concessional contract of a 39-year build-operate-transfer (BOT), of which, four years for construction and 35 years for operations.

Cambodian Minister of Mines and Energy Keo Rattanak said that the construction of the Cambodia Upper Tatay Hydropower Station started in Dec. 2022 and to date, 31.5 percent of the whole project has been completed.

The company has so far completed the construction of a road leading to the construction site, a bridge, an administration building and other necessary infrastructure, said the minister.

According to Hun Manet, the hydropower station is expected to generate 527 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year when it is fully operational, and the electricity will be sold to the state-owned Electricity of Cambodia.