Cambodian Minister of Mines and Energy Keo Rottanak said the Upper Tatay pumped-storage hydropower project was Cambodia’s first of its kind and part of its green energy development direction. He said it would contribute to economic and social development, particularly national energy security. He put green energy’s current share of Cambodia’s overall energy mix at 63.2 percent, principally from hydropower, solar power and biomass.
Keo Rottanak made the remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Upper Tatay pumped-storage project, which is targeted for completion in 2029. Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wenbin and the governor of Koh Kong province attended the ceremony.
The minister described the project’s electricity generation and storage functions, likening Upper Tatay to Cambodia’s first “natural battery.”
The Upper Tatay pumped-storage project has a planned capacity of 1,000 MW and reported investment of about US$1 billion by China National Heavy Machinery Corporation. The report describes it as a historic first for Cambodia. It also says three ASEAN member countries were then constructing similar projects, with Vietnam and Cambodia targeting completion in 2029 and the Philippines in 2030.
The report says the pumped-storage plant and the Funan Techo Canal were two major strategic projects whose investment Chinese President Xi Jinping supported and promoted during his state visit to Cambodia on April 17–18, 2025. It also describes the plant as this Chinese company’s largest overseas energy investment and its first on this scale. By Pai Sokhim
Project rendering.
File photo of hydropower facilities under construction.
File photo of hydropower facilities under construction.
File photo of hydropower facilities under construction.
