In 2024, fossil fuels supplied about 43% of Cambodia’s electricity consumption, with coal alone accounting for 41%. Low-carbon sources supplied almost 30%, led by hydropower at roughly a quarter of consumption and solar at 5%. Net imports covered the remaining 27%, just over a quarter; the data do not identify how that imported electricity was generated. Cambodia therefore still relies heavily on fossil electricity, with considerable room to expand clean generation and reduce the climate change and air pollution associated with coal.

Is Electricity Growing in Cambodia?

Electricity consumption in Cambodia is growing strongly. In 2024, consumption reached a record 1,217 kWh per person, up by 134 kWh, or about 12%, from the previous record set in 2023. However, low-carbon electricity generation did not keep pace: it stood at 362 kWh per person, about 39 kWh, or 10%, below its 2022 record. Rising electricity consumption is encouraging for electrification and economic development, but the shortfall in clean generation is concerning. Cambodia needs faster low-carbon growth to meet expanding demand sustainably.

Suggestions

Cambodia can build on its solar sector while considering nuclear power as a longer-term source of dependable low-carbon electricity. Sri Lanka, a relevant regional comparison, generates 15% of its electricity from solar, compared with Cambodia’s 5%; Chile reaches 24%, showing the scope for substantially higher solar contributions. Cambodia could accelerate rooftop and utility-scale solar deployment alongside grid upgrades and storage. For nuclear development, it could learn from Asian examples such as Pakistan, where nuclear supplies 13% of electricity, and South Korea, where it supplies 26%, particularly in long-term planning, workforce development and institutional preparation. France, at 67% nuclear, also illustrates how nuclear can anchor a predominantly clean electricity system.

History

Cambodia’s low-carbon electricity history since 2012 has been driven mainly by hydropower, with solar contributing increasingly in recent years. From 2012 through 2017, annual hydropower gains ranged from 0.1 to 0.8 TWh, followed by a particularly strong 2 TWh increase in 2018. Hydropower 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. Another decline of 0.8 TWh in 2023 was a disappointing setback. Solar, meanwhile, increased every year from 2019 through 2024, adding about 1.1 TWh altogether, including 0.3 TWh in 2024. The reported biofuel entries showed no change in 2019 or 2022. This history highlights the value of accelerating solar and developing a broader clean electricity mix to sustain growth.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade