Electricity Authority of Cambodia (EAC)

The Electricity Authority of Cambodia is a legal public entity, being granted the right from the Royal Government to be an autonomous agency to regulate the electric power service and to govern the relation between the delivery, receiving and use of electricity.

1. Responsibility of Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy and Electricity Authority of Cambodia in Power Sector

The Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy (MIME) is responsible for controlling the whole Power Sector. The ministry has the duty to set and administrate: Energy, Policies, Electric Power Strategies, Power Development Plant, technical, safety environmental standard and other duties in power sector.
The Electricity Authority of Cambodia (The Authority) is responsible for controlling the activities of electronic power service and use. The Authority has the duty to issue, revise, revoke or suspend the license for electric power service, to approve tariff, to issue the regulations, to control, to impose penalty and to resolve the disputes related to the electric power services and uses.

2. Power and duties of Authority
Article 7 of Electricity Law provides to the Authority the following powers and duties.

(a) To issue, revise, suspend, revoke, or deny the licenses for the supply of the electricity service as provided in article 29 of this law;

(b) To tariff rates and charges and terms and conditions of electric power service of license, except where the Authority consider those rate or charges and terms and condition are established pursuant to a competitive , market-based process;

(c) To order to implement guidance procedure and standard for investment programs by licensees;

(d) To review the financial activities and cooperate organization structure of licensee to the extent that this activities and organization directly affect the operation for the power sector and the efficiency of electricity supply;

(e) To approve and enforce the performance standard for licensees

(f) To evaluate and resolve consumers complaints and contract disputes involving licensees, to the extend that the complaints and disputes relate to the violation of the conditions of licenses;

(g) To improve and enforce a uniform system of account for all licensees

(h) To Prepare and publish reports of power sector and relevant information received from licensee for the benefit of the Government and the public interest.

(i) To prescribe fee applicable to licensees;

(j) To determine the procedure for informing the public about affairs within its duties, in order to ensure that the Electricity Authority of Cambodia complies with the principle of transparency as set forth in Article 3 of this Law

(k) To issue rule and regulation and to make appropriate order, and to issue temporary and permanent in junction for electric power services;

(l) To impose monetary penalty, disconnect power supply, suspend or revoke the licenses for the violation of this law, standard and regulation of the Electricity Authority of Cambodia;

(M) To require the electric power service and the customer to obey the rule relating to the national energy security, economic, environment, and other Government policies

(N) To performs any other function incidental or consequential to any of the duties as describe above; and

(o) To establish the terms and conditions of employment of the officer or employee including experts/advisor of EAC.

3. The organization of the Authority

Graphic (click here)

The Authority's decisions and approvals on the key issue will be based on the discussion and voting in Board Meeting. Board Meeting is the highest decision making in EAC. Article 21 of Electricity law has prescribed that all members of the Authority shall have the right to vote on all issues which are require the approval from the board. This approval is based on the majority vote.

4. Members of Authority

The Authority consists of three members, including the chairman. The chairman and members are designated and proposed by the Prime Minister and appointed by the Royal Decree. Each member has a three year terms except for the initial term. The term of each member shall be staggered. The chairman's position is equivalent to the rank of a secretary of State and the position of other member of the Authority shall retire from the office when they attain the age of sixty.

5. Missions of Authority The Authority has following missions:

1- Establish a legal and reasonable environment in Power Sector for promoting the fair competition in the electric power business, promoting the long term efficient and quality investment and motivating the private sector to play the role as the inciter of the economic growth.

2- Prtects the right of the users to receive the continuous, qualitative and adequate electric power supply at the reasonable tariff.

3- Establish the competition in where it can be made in Power Sector.

4- Establish the conditions that the supply and use of electric power will be efficient, qualitative, continuous and transparent.

6. Budget of Authority

The Authority has an autonomous budget for its operation. This budget comes from the fees paid to the Authority by applicants and licensees. These fees are called license fee. The Authority shall determine the license fee for each financial year. The maximum license fees shall be determined by Sub-Decree.
The budget of the Authority shall be deposited in an account of a state bank of the right to use this fund. The Authority's expected revenues and expenses. The budget shall clearly state the proposed license fees for the financial year, together with the method of calculating the license fees, and the salaries and other remunerations entitlements to be paid to each of the members and senior staff to the Authority. The Authority shall submit this budget to the Government for review and approval.

7. The Electric power services under empowerment of the Authority through licensing.

The electric power services under empowerment of the Authority through licensing are as follows:
1- Consolidated Services (combination of some or all types of services)
2- Generation Services
3- Transmission Services
4- Distribution Services
5- Dispatch Services (Control Center)
6- Bulk Sale Services (on the transmission)
7- Retail Service (on the Distribution)
8- Subcontract Services.