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Cambodia seeks billions for dams
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=127466
Phnom Penh (dpa) - Cambodia is seeking private investment to build 14
new hydropower dams worth more than $3.2 billion, according to a
government report obtained Sunday.
The report entitled Prime Investment Information in Cambodia details
potential private investment opportunities around the country,
including hydroelectric dam construction.
According to the report, 14 dams of various sizes and capacities are
estimated to be able to generate a minimum of 1,850 megawatts.
Four are also earmarked to provide irrigation, although all but two of
the 14 are currently only at desk study stage.
Only one of the proposed sites is on the Mekong river at Sambor Falls
in eastern Kratie province, according to the report, and the project
there is listed in two stages.
But a government source said despite the tremendous potential of the
Sambor dam, it may only go ahead if northern neighbour Laos builds
controversial dams higher upstream which Cambodia fears will destroy
its fisheries and leave it nothing to lose.
The report estimates Kratie, where the Mekong runs strong, is
currently producing a capacity of 1,570 kilovolt-amperes but could
potentially have a capacity of 2,290 with dams in place.
The rest of the proposed dams are dotted along various tributaries
around the country.
Cambodia's rapid economic growth has caused it to outstrip its
electricity supply, with rolling brown outs common in the capital, and
many rural areas without power altogether.
The country is seeking ways to generate its own power and minimise the
amount it has to buy from neighbouring countries.
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