Introduction

The Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) aims to rapidly develop the electricity sector as a major contributor to a balanced social and economic growth. Electricity reforms will be pursued to enhance the involvement of the private sector towards efficiency and competitiveness of the electricity industry.

Multilateral and bilateral agencies are providing key support to the Government for the completion of the ESI reform that promotes credibility for investment, legitimacy for consumer, and efficiency of power economy.

The electricity sector is very small in size. The Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy (MIME) is the government agency responsible for the coordination of electricity sector policy, planning, and development.

Electricity supply consists of 22 small isolated power systems. These systems are divided into two parts; (i) Phnom Penh with the 100,000 customers and six provincial towns served by Electricite du Cambodge (EDC) and (ii) the remainder is served by MIME or by private companies under contract with MIME.

EDC was established by a Royal Decree in March 1996, as a limited liability company fully owned by the Government. EDC has its own board of directors and operates as an independent agency but has no authority over electricity tariff. Electricity is available to only 13 percent of the total population.

Energy consumption per capita was only about 35 kWh per annum, one of the lowest in Southeast Asia. In rural areas, electricity is available only to about 5 percent of the rural households. The Government, thus, targets to achieve a high rural electrification rate up to 70 percent in 2030.