2017年CRI China-invested, biggest hydropower plant in Cambodia to launch

 

00:00/03:46 Cambodia's biggest hydropower dam is near completion in the country's northeastern province of Stung Treng. The China-invested, 400-megawatt project will begin operation in November and is expected to substantially benefit the lives of local residents.

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Xiong Bo on Monday presided over a ceremony to close the dam's water gates. The Lower Sesan II Hydropower Plant has eight turbines, and each turbine has an installed capcity of 50 megawatts.

The construction of the project is almost completed, as the first turbine will be put into operation in November, and all of the eight turbines will be fully¹ operational by October 2018.

The dam is a joint² venture among China's Huaneng Hydrolancang International Energy, with 51% of the stake, Cambodia's Royal Group, owning 39%, and Vietnamese EVN International Joint Stock Company possessing 10%.

26-year-old electrical technician Makara started working for the project in his hometown Stung Treng after graduating from a college in Phnom Penh.

"I feel very happy about working in the hydropower plant, because it is so far the hydropower plant with the largest installed capacity in Cambodia. I have learned a lot from Chinese electrical engineers, and they have shared with the Cambodian staff, like me, much experience," said the young man. 

Once fully operational, the plant is estimated to produce 1.9 billion kilowatt-hours per year and could generate tax revenues of about 30 million U.S. dollars annually³.

Speaking during the closure ceremony for the water gates, Prime Minister Hun Sen said the project was a new achievement in the development of Cambodia's energy sector⁴. He said his country's northeastern region has traditionally imported electricity from neighboring Laos but residents in the region would have access to long-term, reliable and affordable⁵ electricity, once the first turbine begins operation in November.

That sentiment is shared by people living in Stung Treng.

"Speaking as a man growing up in Stung Treng, I think the hydropower plant is very helpful to the development of both our macro- and micro-economies, because it can lower down the current electricity fee to 980 riels per kilowatt-hour. After going into use, it can send its electricity everywhere, and poor families can also afford home appliances like electric rice cookers, electric fans and air conditioners, so poverty can be alleviated⁶ to some extent," said Sowan Piseth, Makara's brother-in-law. 

The plant is also expected to attract more investment into the region, indirectly⁷ leading to job creation.

Meanwhile, at the water gate closure ceremony, Prime Minister Hun Sen expressed his gratitude⁸ to China for continuously supporting Cambodia in socio-economic development.

Huang Yongda, the president of China Huaneng Group, the parent company of Huaneng Hydrolancang International Energy, said the project was a great example of cooperation between China and Cambodia under the Belt and Road Initiative.

China is the largest investor⁹ in developing hydroelectric dams in Cambodia. According to the Cambodian Ministry¹⁰ of Mines and Energy, Chinese companies have invested in seven dams in Cambodia. The ministry said the total capacity in Cambodia last year was over 2,000 megawatts. As of June, nearly 80% of Cambodia's villages and more than 60% of its households had access to electricity.

1 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

2 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

3 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

4 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

5 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

6 alleviated   

减轻，缓解，缓和( alleviate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It is always completely alleviated by total gastrectomy. 全胃切除永远完全缓解症状。
• Toxicity problem in manufacturing and storage might be alleviated by coating beryllium with aluminum. 但如果用铝包覆铍，则可避免加工过程中及储存期间的中毒问题。

7 indirectly   

adv.间接地，不直接了当地

参考例句：

• I heard the news indirectly.这消息我是间接听来的。
• They were approached indirectly through an intermediary.通过一位中间人，他们进行了间接接触。

8 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

9 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。

10 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。