Operations at the newly-constructed Kirirom III Hydro Power Plant, located in the south western part of the country, have started. The plant, with a capacity of 18 MW, was built by the State Grid Corporation of China that had invested $47.1 million in the project. The construction of the plant started in July 2009 and was completed in 2012. The project is a part of a 30-year build-operate-transfer concessional contract signed by the Cambodian government. The new facility will generate 78 million kWh of electricity per annum, which will be sold to the state-owned Electricity of Cambodia at $7.91 cents per kWh. Kirirom III is the third China-invested hydroelectric dam that is operational in Cambodia. The first two operational dams are Kirirom I with the capacity of 12 MW (located in the Kampong Speu province) and the 193-MW Kamchay Hydro Power Plant (situated in the Kampot province). Furthermore, three other hydropower dams, involving investments from China-based companies, are under construction in the country: Tatay River hydropower dam (246 MW), the Atay River hydropower dam (120 MW), and the Russei Chrum Krom dam (338 MW). They are expected to be completed by 2015.
