Cambodia is mulling over a nuclear power option to feed its anemic
energy sector, although private sector pundits called the rough plan a dream –
a dangerous one at that.
The government plans to use
atomic energy in the future as oil, coal and biomass power sources were bound
to be depleted, Suy Sem, Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy, told the
National Assembly this week.
“We cannot avoid building nuclear
power plants. It is the government’s target,” he said, without giving a
specific time when a project might be launched.
Vietnam and Thailand have
recently looked into nuclear power, Suy Sem noted.
Japan’s Fukushima crisis pushed
Thailand’s project back by three years, Reuters reported last year. A nuclear
reactor was originally scheduled to come on line in 2020 but will be delayed
until 2023.
Vietnam announced this year that
it would push along with the atomic energy plans it’s had since 1995.
Representatives from Cambodia’s
private sector called the plans dangerous and politically risky.
“We should not consider it
because it is very dangerous. We don’t have enough experts,” Nguon Meng Tech,
director general for the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce, said yesterday.
“Moreover, later on we will get
into some political problems such as those some are countries facing now …
We’re still poor. We should not spend much money on this project. I think it is
just a dream.”
The International Atomic Energy
Agency said nuclear power projects required longer than 100 years, as well as
the resources to support the program throughout.
“It is therefore of the utmost
importance to fully understand the long-term committments for a nuclear power
programme before even considering a specific nuclear power plant project,” IAEA
guidelines state.
The Cambodian government would
also have to guarantee complete technical and institutional competence to carry
out the project successfully, according to the guidelines.
As demand for energy rises in
step with industry investment, Cambodia will need continued power
infrastructure. But hydropower projects and power purchases from neighbouring
countries should suffice, Nguon Meng Tech said.
Hiroshi Suzuki, chief executive
and economist at the Business Research Institute for Cambodia, said a nuclear
power program was viable but it would require a great increase in human
resources if the country was to operate a plant.
Suzuki agreed with minister Suy
Sem on the risks associated with reliance on fossil fuels.
“It is dangerous to relay on oil
alone for energy because the price of oil fluctuates. It is very good to
diversify the energy resources in a country,” he added.
About 68 per cent of Cambodian
villages have access to power, according to Suy Sem.
The Kingdom generates about 300
megawatts of power but a shortage of up to 50 megawatts still causes blackouts
in Phnom Penh during the dry season.
Cambodia imports about 45 per
cent of its energy from neighbouring countries.
May Kunmakara
Business & Investment Opportunities
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