France-based Total Eren, an independent power producer, has announced its entry into the Cambodian renewable energy (RE) market with the acquisition of Battambang, a 73.9 MWp photovoltaic (PV) project from China-based Risen Energy. The PV farm is currently operational in Battambang Province, which is located in northwest Cambodia. Risen Energy will undertake maintenance and repair work on the solar PV farm until 2023.
The Battambang solar farm generates roughly 115 GWh per year and has the capacity to offset over 50,000 tonnes in carbon emissions each year. It is one of Cambodia’s largest solar farms and the electricity produced is delivered to Electricité du Cambodge, the national power utility firm, under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) which was signed in August 2019.
This project is part of a broader programme launched by the Government of Cambodia under the Basic Energy Plan, which aims to increase RE’s share in the national electricity mix to 10 per cent by 2030.