During an official ceremony in December 2018, Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen opened the 400 MW Lower Sesan II hydropower plant in the north-eastern province of Stung Treng.

Lower Sesan II was constructed over a period of four years. According to the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the mega-power plant covers around 20 percent of the country‘s annual energy demand. Cambodia is embarking on a wide range of different projects in an attempt to increase its capacities for industrial expansion. The stakeholders involved in the joint venture project, which is worth 816 million US dollars, are “Hydrolancang International Energy” from China with a stake of 51 percent, the Cambodian “Royal Group” with a stake of 39 percent, and “EVN International” from Vietnam with a 10 percent holding. This means that in Cambodia there are seven commercial hydropo­w­er plants in operation, delivering a total output of around 1,328 MW.