Chinese companies signed several agreements in Phnom Penh yesterday with Cambodian government officials to build a hydropower plant and an electricity transmission network for the kingdom.

The plant in Battambang Province will cost US$190 million and is expected to generate 465 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, said Deputy Prime Minister Sok An at an official announcement of the project.

The power transmission network will be constructed at the cost of US$113 million to connect Phnom Penh, Kampong Chhnang, Pursat and Battambang. The Cambodian government will adopt the BOT pattern (build, operate, and transfer) for both projects, he said.

These new energy developments are expected to benefit the kingdom in the fields of energy production, flood prevention, employment expansion, and tax enhancement, he added.

China Yunnan Corporation for International Techno-Economic Cooperation and Yunnan Southeast-Asia Economy and Technology Investment Industrial Co Ltd will undertake the construction and development of both projects.

Representatives from the two companies, the Cambodian Ministry of Mines and Energy, and the Electricity Authority of Cambodia signed the agreements in the presence of Sok An, Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jinfeng and other senior Cambodian government officials.

Currently, Cambodia does not have the infrastructure to generate enough electricity to meet its growing demand, which has been rising 15 percent to 20 percent per year, according to the Ministry of Mines and Energy.

(Xinhua News Agency February 17, 2007)