EDC Celebrates Legacy of Electrification: “From the First Light to the Last Mile”

Phnom Penh, 9 May 2025 – Electricité du Cambodge (EDC) hosted an event under the theme “From the First Light to the Last Mile” to commemorate Cambodia’s electrification history and celebrate the impact of 20 years of the Rural Electrification Fund (REF). The event, held at EDC’s headquarters in Phnom Penh, was officiated by H.E. Keo Rottanak, Minister of Mines and Energy and H.E Dr Praing Chulasa, and attended by former Minister H.E. Suy Sem, as well as representatives from embassies, development partners, independent power producers, rural electricity enterprises, EDC retirees, university students and local communities.

The gathering marked two important milestones: the launch of A Swift Journey to Electrification, a comprehensive historical publication tracing over a century of Cambodia’s electricity sector, and the opening of Connections, a new exhibition and documentary that highlight the REF’s achievements in bringing electricity to rural communities over the past two decades.
In his keynote address, H.E. Keo Rottanak recounted how Cambodia’s electricity sector took root in the early 1900s and how it was repeatedly rebuilt in the face of war, scarcity, and technical limitations. He spoke of a time when his own family relied on fish fat for light, when electricity was rationed in the capital, and when the rebuilding of the grid began with borrowed tools and community spirit.

H.E. Keo Rottanak highlighted the essential role of the REF, a unit within EDC established in the early 2000s, which has expanded the grid to reach rural areas that previously relied on costly and informal mini-grids. Today, rural household electrification stands at over 95 percent, up from just six percent two decades ago.

The event featured the official launch of the book A Swift Journey to Electrification, which preserves records and stories from Cambodia’s energy sector. H.E. Keo Rottanak expressed his pride in the collaborative effort behind the publication, acknowledging contributions from EDC staff, the Electricity Authority of Cambodia, the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, development partners, and local communities.

Representatives from the embassies of France, United Kingdom, United States of America, European Union to Cambodia, Germany, Australia, China, Japan, Singapore, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand, were present, along with officials from the Agence Française de Développement, the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, EDF, JICA and UNDP The Minister extended his thanks to these partners for their sustained financial and technical support in building Cambodia’s national grid, clean energy initiatives, and capacity-building efforts.

The event also included the inauguration of the Connections exhibition and a screening of its companion documentary, both of which bring to light the human stories behind Cambodia’s electrification journey. The exhibition features 20 images displayed in the new exhibition space at EDC. The collection is divided into three thematic sections: Connecting People, highlighting how rural families benefit from access to electricity; Connecting Work, capturing the determination and day-to-day efforts of EDC staff; and Connecting Visions, offering a glimpse into the future of electrification, from mega infrastructure to green energy transitions. The accompanying documentary expands on these themes, telling personal stories of how power has reached floating villages, remote outposts, and the country’s most vulnerable communities. Reflecting on the significance of the event, H.E. Keo Rottanak stated, “It is easy to measure progress in numbers. But there is also progress that cannot be measured so easily: the trust people place in institutions, the sense of inclusion they feel, and the belief that they are part of a shared national project. In preserving these stories, we honour the past and prepare to carry that spirit onward.”

The event concluded with a call to the next generation of students to build on this legacy, and to continue advancing Cambodia’s development through public service, innovation, and care for the public good.