Cambodia facing power shortage of 400 megawatts in dry season: PM

PHNOM PENH, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said on Saturday that the country is facing the electricity shortage of 400 megawatts during the ongoing dry season.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the fifth River Festival in Kampong Chhnang province, Hun Sen said the Southeast Asian country has been facing drought and water shortage since February and the trend will continue until June.

"A large amount of our electricity is produced by hydropower dams, but now, there is a shortage of water, so the hydropower dams can produce only a small amount of electricity," he said. "We are currently lacking the electricity of 400 megawatts, and we are seeking solutions to this issue."

The prime minister asked the people for understanding when there were power cuts during this period and called on those who own generators to use them for their houses, hotels or working places in order to tackle this power shortage together.

However, he said the manufacturing sector, especially rice mills, were not affected from this power shortage.

According to the Ministry of Mines and Energy, electricity supply in Cambodia was 2,650 megawatts in 2018, in which 1,329 megawatts, or 50 percent of the total power supply, were produced by hydroelectric dams.