Bavet, Cambodia
Cambodia’s First Utility-Scale Solar Plant
5.5K tons of CO₂ emissions REDUCED annually
Inhabitants 42,456 GDP per capita $1,621 Geographic area 207 km²
THE CHALLENGE Bavet, and Cambodia more broadly, has historically relied on fossil fuels and hydropower for energy, despite great untapped potential for solar power.
Cambodia’s first utility-scale solar plant in the southeast of the country is the first to tap into a powerful natural resource in Cambodia—sunshine. The 10 MW solar power plant is located in Bavet, a special economic zone on the border of Viet Nam, about 150 km from the capital, Phnom Penh. Following an international tender, a consortium led by Singaporean company Sunseap built the plant and entered into a 20-year solar power purchase agreement with Electricité Du Cambodge, a state-owned utility. The solar plant has been providing around a quarter of the demand for nearby city Bavet since 2017 and is estimated to reduce around 5,500 tCO2e emissions annually. The local area used to suffer from power shortages. Since the operation of the solar plant, investments in the area have increased, promoting further development and providing employment opportunities for local communities. ADB’s Private Sector Operations Department provided a debt financing package of $9.2 million for the project. The package included cofinancing from a private sector financial institution and a concessional loan from the ADB-managed Canadian Climate Fund for the Private Sector in Asia (CFPS).
Co-benefits Economic Since the solar plant started generating power, investments in the local economic zone have increased, promoting development in the area. Social The solar project has improved the reliability of Cambodia’s power supply and has led to the creation of green jobs.
Unlocking Cambodia’s renewable energy resources. The project is the first utility-scale solar power plant in Cambodia (photo by ADB).
12 100 CLIMATE ACTIONS FROM CITIES IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
