Cambodia's largest hydropower station is officially put into operation.

The Royal Government of Cambodia plans to apply for more loans from China for the construction of Cambodia's power grid and strive for 100% coverage of Cambodia's electricity supply.

Premier Hun Sen said this when he hosted the completion and commissioning ceremony of Xishan River Lower Reach No. 2 Hydropower Station in Shangding Province on the morning of 17th.

Hun Sen said that he will lead Cambodia's National Delegation to Beijing, China for an official visit, mainly to discuss the application for a large loan from China for the construction of a power supply system connecting Cambodia, so as to achieve 100% coverage.

Currently, 25 provinces in Cambodia have access to electricity, and the power grid of the Cambodian Electric Power Company covers 96% of the country, he said.

Premier Hun Sen told Wang Wentian, China's new ambassador to Cambodia, that a lot of money is needed to build a power supply system connecting Cambodia. China is the only country that can provide huge loans to Cambodia.

Therefore, during this official visit to China, the two sides will focus on discussing how to apply for a huge loan from the Chinese government to build Cambodia's national power grid system.

At the same time, Prime Minister Hun Sen praised the active participation of Chinese-funded enterprises in hydropower construction projects. At present, 7 hydropower stations in Cambodia are invested by Chinese enterprises, he said.

He said that although there are 7 hydropower stations in China, they are far from meeting the demand for electricity. More funds are needed to build hydropower stations and promote the development of the power industry. The main source of funds is China.

Hun Sen also said that the Xishan River Lower Reach No. 2 hydropower station built in Shangding Province will not only supply electricity to Shangding Province, but also to other provinces. At present, Shangding Province's electricity demand is only a few megawatts.

The No. 2 hydropower station in the lower reaches of Xishan River is known as the Three Gorges Project in Cambodia. The dam is 6500 meters long and is the first longest dam in Asia.

The No. 2 hydropower station in the lower reaches of Xishan River is jointly invested by China Huaneng Group (51%), Cambodia Royal Group (39%) and Vietnam EVNI Company (10%).

A total of eight Chinese-made units with a total installed capacity of 400 MW were installed at the No. 2 hydropower station on the lower reaches of Xishanhe River, which was jointly invested by the 3 companies for $800 million. The project is invested in "Construction-Operation-Transfer" (BOT) for a period of 45 years.

Premier Hun Sen also recalled that before the construction of the hydropower station, there were support and opposition, but the support rate was high.

He went on to say that some people were motivated by foreign countries to oppose the project and intentionally block its progress.

Prime Minister Hun Sen also said that foreigners had visited me at home and said that the project would destroy up to 70% of Cambodia's fish stocks.

Hun Sen said that the foreigner's statement is very foolish, but I am not a fool, because I know that he is intent on preventing Cambodia from building the hydropower station.