High Energy Thursday: Power for countries in a hurry

Results of Cambodia’s earlier construction boom. (Heng Sinith/AP)

Posted by Daniel Altman in High energy, Growing pains

The Cambodian economy is expanding so quickly that it has outgrown its power-generating capacity by a third. Prices for electricity are much higher than in Vietnam or Thailand, its bigger neighbors. In order to keep the investment and construction going, Cambodia has to keep the juice flowing. But how?
Some years from now Cambodia may finally be able to tap into the offshore oil and gas reserves discovered recently by American, European and Asian companies. Until then, the answer appears to be hydroelectric, as Ek Madra of Reuters writes. The problem is, damming rivers for hydroelectric power can displace thousands of Cambodians - as well as many species of rare wildlife.
The Cambodian government seems to have no problem with displacement, as it has already cleared scores of villages in Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville, two of Cambodia’s largest cities, to make way for new business and residential developments. But aren’t there any other off-the-shelf choices for a small economy in a hurry? Mini-nuclear reactors? Offshore wind farms? Perhaps a way to harness the annual monsoon rains? It seems like a little creativity could go a long way. After all, Cambodia’s not the only country in this situation.