PHNOM PENH, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Sixty-megawatt solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation plant out of the 100-MW National Solar Park in central Cambodia's Kampong Chhnang province has been connected to the national grid, according to a press statement on Wednesday.
The National Solar Park has been under construction by Electricite du Cambodge (EDC), Cambodia's national power utility, with the support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the statement said, adding that under the project, an international competitive tender was organized to bid out power generation units to the private sector in two phases of 60 MW and 40 MW.
"ADB was one of the early players in helping Cambodia increase its household access to grid electricity from 17 percent in 2008 to almost 90 percent in 2021, while also helping reduce electricity costs nationwide," EDC's managing director Keo Rottanak said.
"ADB was the nation's first development partner to fund an earlier 10 MW grid-scale solar farm and with the new National Solar Park, ADB is with Cambodia once again in scaling up the nation's solar contribution to more than 10 percent of the total generation mix in capacity terms," he added.
ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa said the lender was pleased to have supported the establishment of the National Solar Park, which is a landmark project not only for Cambodia but for all of Southeast Asia.
"Solar generation will need to be a key part of Cambodia's efforts to expand access to affordable power while also transitioning to cleaner energy," he said. ■