In 2024, fossil fuels supplied about 43% of Cambodia’s electricity consumption, with coal alone accounting for 41%. Low-carbon electricity supplied almost 30%, mainly hydropower at roughly 25%, alongside solar at 5%. Net imports covered the remaining 27%, or just over a quarter of consumption. Because the sources of imported electricity are not specified, that share cannot be classified as either clean or fossil-based from these data.

Is Electricity Growing in Cambodia?

Electricity consumption in Cambodia is growing: it reached a record 1,217 kWh per person in 2024, up 134 kWh, or about 12%, from the previous record in 2023. This growth is welcome as electrification and expanding digital services increase electricity needs. However, domestic low-carbon generation reached only 362 kWh per person—39 kWh, or roughly 10%, below its 2022 record. Cambodia therefore needs faster clean electricity growth to accompany rising consumption and reduce reliance on fossil fuels, which contribute to climate change and air pollution.

Suggestions

Cambodia can increase low-carbon electricity generation by accelerating solar deployment and exploring nuclear power as a longer-term source of clean electricity. Relevant regional examples include Sri Lanka, where solar supplies 15% of electricity generation, and Pakistan, where solar supplies 24% and nuclear another 13%. These demonstrate how both technologies can contribute to a growing electricity system. Cambodia could also learn from South Korea, which generates a quarter of its electricity from nuclear, and France, where nuclear provides about two-thirds. Strong planning, workforce development, grid investment, and clear procurement policies would help Cambodia translate these examples into a strategy suited to its own circumstances.

History

Cambodia’s low-carbon electricity history since 2012 has been dominated by hydropower expansion. From 2012 through 2017, annual hydro increases ranged from 0.1 to 0.8 TWh, followed by a particularly strong 2 TWh increase in 2018. Hydro then fell by a combined 0.7 TWh in 2019–2020, before rebounding with gains of 1.2 TWh in 2021 and 0.9 TWh in 2022. A further 0.8 TWh decline in 2023 underscored the need for a broader clean electricity mix. Solar has provided encouraging, consistent growth: its annual increases from 2019 through 2024 totaled 1.1 TWh, including a 0.3 TWh gain in 2024. The listed biofuel changes were zero in 2019 and 2022.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade