The introduction of two new power plants in the country last year saw Cambodia inch towards self-sufficiency in its electricity supply even as energy consumption grew 14%, the Ministry of Mine and Energy (MME) said yesterday. The Kingdom consumed 8.15 billion kilowatt hours of electricity in 2017, up 14% from 7.17 billion kilowatt hours in 2016. However, energy imports from Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos decreased from 22% of total consumption in 2016 to 20% last year due to 1 billion kilowatt hour increase in local generation. Victor Jona, MME’s spokesman, said the greater production was driven by the opening of a 135-MW coal power plant in Preah Sihanouk province as part of a complex of generators with a previous capacity of 270 MW, and which is slated to eventually be expanded to 700 MW. Meanwhile, the massive and controversial Lower Sesan II Hydropower Dam began a test run with two of its eight turbines by the end of 2017, and should be fully operational by October 2018, providing a total 400MW of capacity, he added. The overall electricity production was projected to increase by another 15% by the end of 2018. (Source: Phnom Penh Post)