Power outages used to be a common occurrence in the Kingdom due to an insufficient supply of electricity and a lack of high-voltage transmission lines.

To address this, the Cambodian government began purchasing additional electricity from neighbouring countries and constructing more substations.

This eventually increased the need for the high-voltage transmission lines needed to transmit electricity over long distances.

To meet these growing demands, development partners including Japan have significantly contributed to the construction of high-voltage transmission lines and substations enabling Cambodia to maintain a stable power supply.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has provided development assistance through various projects such as the Greater Mekong Power Network Development Project signed in 2007 and the Project for Phnom Penh Distribution System Expansion Phase I and Phase II inked in 2014 and 2015, respectively.

To enhance the operating and maintenance capacity of these newly built facilities, JICA has also been implementing various technical cooperation projects with Electricite du Cambodge (EDC), such as the Project for Improvement of Transmission Systems Operations and Maintenance.

Began in 2013, it was completed in 2015.

However, EDC staff still faced other challenges such as quickly restoring power after outages caused by accidents or natural disasters affecting substations or transmission lines.http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/jica-helping-boost-expanding-electricity-sector-kingdom