9 December 2013: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Government of Australia have signed a US$6.1 million grant agreement with the Government of Cambodia, for a project that is expected to bring over 90,000 improved cookstoves to Kampong Cham province, and over 620km of electrical lines to Svay Rieng province.

The project will also see Government of Cambodia and Electricité du Cambodge respectively contribute US$2 million and US$2.8 million toward the project, which has a total cost of $10.9 million. ADB’s Peter Brimble, ADB Deputy Country Director for Cambodia said, “The project supports ADB’s key objective of improving access to affordable energy among the country’s poor and was prepared in line with the energy sector’s needs. It will address urgent rural electrification requirements which are fundamental to poverty reduction and to enhancing rural livelihoods and well-being.”

Specifically, in Svay Rieng province, the electrical lines will connect an additional 8,000 households in an area of the country where only 20% of homes currently have access to reliable energy connections. The cookstoves in Kampong Cham will directly benefit at least 63,000 female entrepreneurs by helping reduce the fuel they need to purchase for their stoves, thereby also reducing carbon dioxide emissions from their cooking by 4,400 tons annually. [ADB Press Release]