Sihanoukville CIIDG power station 2

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Sihanoukville CIIDG power station 2 is an operating power station of at least 700-megawatts (MW) in Sihanoukville, Stung Hav, Cambodia. It is also known as 西哈努克港燃煤电站项目, Sihanoukville CIIDG-Huadian power station.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name Location Coordinates (WGS 84)
Sihanoukville CIIDG power station 2 Sihanoukville, Stung Hav, Sihanoukville, Cambodia 10.73381, 103.596159 (exact)

The map below shows the exact location of the power station.

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Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

  • Unit 1, Unit 2: 10.73381, 103.596159

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name Status Fuel(s) Capacity (MW) Technology Start year
Unit 1 operating coal: unknown 350 supercritical 2022
Unit 2 operating coal: unknown 350 supercritical 2022

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name Owner Parent
Unit 1 Huadian Sihanoukville Power Generation Co Ltd [100%] Cambodia International Investment Development Group Co Ltd
Unit 2 Huadian Sihanoukville Power Generation Co Ltd [100%] Cambodia International Investment Development Group Co Ltd

Background

In Chinese, the power project is referred to as 西哈努克港2×350MW燃煤电站项目. CIIDG is also involved in the 405 MW Sihanoukville CIIDG power station.

In July 2018, it was reported that Cambodia International Investment Development Group (CIIDG) had been given approval to construct a 2 x 300 MW coal plant in Sihanoukville of Steung Hav District. The investment project was under the concession scheme of build-operate-own (BOO) for 35 years. CIIDG was looking for an investment partner for the project and a Chinese firm was reportedly interested. Construction was expected to begin in 2019 and finish by 2023.[1]

In November 2018, it was reported in Chinese media that the 2 x 300 MW subcritical units of the Hunan Chuangyuan power station had been transferred to Cambodia for use in the Sihanoukville CIIDG power station 2.[2] The coal units were forcibly closed in China for violating pollution standards. Transaction records showed the two units were sold for 218 million yuan (US$21.7 million) to Chinese company Kasen International, which specializes in used power plant equipment. The company formed a joint venture with a Cambodian real estate mogul to develop the Steung Hav special economic zone (SEZ) in Cambodia, modeled after a SEZ in Shenzhen, China.[3]

In August 2019, it was reported the project was facing delays, with no construction date set, pushing the expected commissioning to 2023-2024.[4]

In December 2019, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for a 700 MW power station, with operation planned for 2022-2023.[5] That month, Southwest Electric Power Design Institute (SWEPDI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Power Engineering, won the contract to build the plant and transmission line.[6]

In June 2020, the environmental and social impact review was completed. CIIDG said a national meeting would be held for final review and approval soon after.[7]

In August 2020, construction of the power station began. Southwest Electric Power Design Institute (SWEPDI) of Energy China Construction and Anhui Power Construction No. 1 Company were the main contractors.[8]

Planet imagery from June 2020 to June 2021 and June 2021 to December 2021 shows the plant’s construction progress.

In January 2021, the power station was reportedly 35% complete since breaking ground on December 18, 2019. An article noted the power station was being built on 54.9ha and was expected to be completed by the end of 2022 and online in early 2023.[9]

In May 2021, it was reported that the first unit was scheduled to be put into operation at the end of 2022, and the second unit in March 2023.[10]

As of October 2021, concerns were raised because the project's environmental assessment had not yet been made public. The construction was running ahead of schedule, while people still wondered about the impact of the power plant on the local community, pollution, and climate change.[11] Later that same month, Cambodia announced that it would no longer invest in new coal schemes and that they will aim to complete only three planned projects. The Sihanoukville CIIDG Power Station 2 was among those three.[12]

In March 2022, the environmental assessment was reportedly available. According to one report, the project had "extremely stringent" environmental protection requirements. The report also stated that despite various roadblocks, major portions of the projects construction had been completed. Both units were to come online within a year.[13]

In November 2022, Unit 1 was put into operation.[14] China Huadian Corp stated that following the successful 72-hour trial run, the power station would "effectively alleviate" power supply shortages in Cambodia.[15]

In December 2022, Unit 2 was put into operation.[16]

The power station is part of China's "Belt and Road" international initiative, and its completion makes China the largest power generating operator in Cambodia.[17]

In September 2023, bidding was opened for a "quality improvement project" (Google translate) at Sihanoukville CIIDG power station 2.[18]

Financing

In April 2020, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China signed a loan agreement with China Huadian to finance the project.[19] ICBC Asia and ICBC Phnom Penh Branch would collectively provide a US$600 million loan for the first phase of the project.[20] However, IJ Global reported that the financial close of this transaction only took place in April 2023.[21]

According to the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) who may have approved the investment (or a related one) in March 2021, the project may be estimated at US$1,283 million.[22]

Opposition

On August 12, 2013, 173 trainees at the Sihanoukville power plant in the Preah Sihanouk province in Cambodia ended a 5-day protest. The protest ended because the trainees were able to obtain higher wages from their employer at the power plant, the Chinese-Cambodian company CIIDG Erdos Hong-jun Electric Power Co. Buot Chamrong, one of the protestors, said that they “protested to demand that [CIIDG] respect Cambodian labor laws because so far they have implemented Chinese laws to put pressure on us.”[23]

Before the Sihanoukville coal plants were built, local campaigners organized a protest march during Sihanoukville’s 'Sea Festival,' including the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC). Their motivations included the adverse health effects that would fall upon villagers near Sihanoukville, such as cancer and coal ash inhalation.[24]

In early June 2019, 42 families in the Sihanoukville community formally filed a complaint to the government surrounding the abundance of coal ash from the power plants. The provincial governor then “inspected the site and threatened to close the plant” if it did not clean up its operations.[24]

In October 2023, a former employee of Sihanoukville CEL power station, who now worked as a fisherman in Sihanoukville, expressed concerns over the clustering of coal plants in the province. Local residents reportedly feared the enivonmental and public health impacts of Sihanoukville CEL power station and Sihanoukville CIIDG power station 2.[25]

The People's Map

Oudom Ham, an environmental and human rights consultant, published a detailed entry about the "CIIDG–Huadian Sihanoukville Coal Power Plant" on The People's Map.

For example, it noted the following regarding ownership (December 2021):

"In October 2019, Huadian Sihanoukville Power Generation Company Limited was established to implement the project. It is a collaboration between a Cambodian conglomerate and a subsidiary of Chinese state-owned Huadian. The local partner is called Cambodia International Investment Development Group (CIIDG), which, according to Cambodia’s company register, is owned by the wife of Cambodian Senator Lao Meng Khin. CIIDG is linked to several energy-generation and transmission projects, including a 405 MW coal plant adjacent to this project.
CIIDG was given the green light for the project in July 2018, and China Huadian Hong Kong Company Limited (CHDHK, 华电香港公司) stepped in later as a joint-venture partner. CHDHK is a subsidiary of Huadian Power International Corporation (华电国际电力股份有限公司), which is majority owned by China Huadian Group (中国华电集团有限公司), one of China’s top-five power-generation companies."

Articles and Resources

References

  1. "Third coal power plant in Sihanoukville to start construction next year," Cambodia Constructors Association, July 12, 2018
  2. "柬埔寨西哈努克斯敦豪经济特区燃煤电站项目开工," 北极星电力网新闻中心, November 20, 2018
  3. Lili Pike, "Coal plant deemed too polluting for China heads to Cambodia," China Dialogue, August 29, 2019
  4. "Construction date yet to be set for $1.3B coal-fired station," Phnompenh Post, August 20, 2019
  5. "700MW Coal-Fired Power Plant Gets Ground Breaking in Preah Sihanoukville," Construction Property, December 19, 2019
  6. "Energy China SWEPDI Wins Bid for Cambodia Largest Coal-fired Power Plant," CEEC, January 30, 2020
  7. "All clear for construction of 700MW coal plant," The Phnom Penh Post, June 30, 2020
  8. "Sihanoukville Port Coal-fired Power Plant Project in Cambodia starts," Seetao, August 19, 2020
  9. "700MW plant 35% complete," The Phnom Penh Post, January 5, 2021
  10. "中资柬埔寨西港火电项目1号机组锅炉大板梁顺利吊装," CC-Times, May 18, 2021
  11. "CIIDG–Huadian Sihanoukville Coal Power Plant," The People's Map, October 18, 2021
  12. "Cambodia Pledges to End New Coal Projects as Climate Crisis Intensifies," Cambodianess, November 1, 2021
  13. "西港发电项目拥抱“绿色低碳”发展理念前行," CC-Times, March 31, 2022
  14. "中企投建的柬埔寨最大火电项目开始投产发电," BJX News, November 2, 2022
  15. "Huadian project starts ops in Cambodia," China Daily, November 3, 2022
  16. "华电集团,在这个国家干成了'最大的发电运营商'," BJX News, December 16, 2022
  17. "中国华电投资建设的柬埔寨最大燃煤电站项目投入运营," Coal-IN, April 21, 2023
  18. "招标公告柬埔寨西哈努克港2×350MW燃煤电站第二阶段(第一部分)质量提升项目施工工程标段," 柬华日报, September 27, 2023
  19. "中柬“云签约”,柬埔寨西港煤电项目举行隆重签约仪式-“走出去”导航网," investgo.cn, April 15, 2020
  20. "CHD’s Preah Sihanouk Project Held a 'Cloud Signing' Ceremony in Financing Agreement-China Huadian Corporation LTD," China Huadian website, April 16, 2020
  21. "Sihanoukville CIIDG-Huadian Coal-Fired Power Plant (700MW)". www.ijglobal.com. April 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  22. "CDC greenlights five projects worth $1.3B," The Phnom Penh Post, March 28, 2021
  23. "Striking Power Plant Trainees Get Wage Raise," The Cambodia Daily, August 14, 2013
  24. 24.0 24.1 "Coal plant deemed too polluting for China heads to Cambodia," Chinadialogue, August 30, 2013
  25. "Counting on coal: Cambodia’s fossil fuel push flounders with delays," Southeast Asia Globe, October 25, 2023

Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.