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Sihanoukville CEL power station

Coal power plant in Preah Sihanouk, Cambodia. Approximate location 10.7402, 103.5808.

CoalPreah SihanoukCambodiasupercritical

Sihanoukville CEL power station is a 250 MW coal power station in Preah Sihanouk, Cambodia. It is operated by Cambodian Energy Limited. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 313k homes (estimated). It ranks #10 of 27 Cambodia power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2014, it is around 12 years old — relatively modern. In context, coal supplies about 56.6% of Cambodia's electricity; the national grid averages 499 gCO₂/kWh (40.9% low-carbon) (2025).

250Source-backed capacity
312,857homes powered (est.)
2014commissioned (~12 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1026840.

Data status

Known data

FacilitySihanoukville CEL power station WRI
CountryCambodia · Preah Sihanouk WRI
Coordinates10.7402, 103.5808 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity250 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerCambodian Energy Limited WRI
Commissioned2014 WRI
Technologysupercritical WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions1,095,000 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#10 of 27 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#6 of 8 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.62× · 405 MW median · 8 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent312,857 calculated
Climate27.4°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 49/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 250 MW for Sihanoukville CEL power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: A3_MAJOR_REVIEW_SCOPE_STATUS - recommended action: manual_scope_status_check - confidence: low_until_scope_verified. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000100157); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 250 MW, Sihanoukville CEL power station is below the median coal plant in Cambodia (405 MW). Technically it is described as supercritical. Coal plants burn pulverised coal to raise high-pressure steam for a turbine; they run as baseload but are the most carbon-intensive mainstream source and the first targeted for retirement or efficiency retrofits.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Capacity vs largest coal plants in Cambodia

Koh Kong power station: 2,400 MW2kKoh Kong p…Sihanoukville CSG power station: 1,200 MW1kSihanoukvi…Kampot power station: 540 MW540Kampot pow…Sihanoukville CIIDG power station: 405 MW405Sihanoukvi…Han Seng power station: 265 MW265Han Seng p…Sihanoukville CEL power station: 250 MW250Sihanoukvi…Pailin power station: 200 MW200Pailin pow…Sihanoukville SEZ power station: 100 MW100Sihanoukvi…

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Cambodian Energy Limited.

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 10.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

27.4°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
3,437cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
44 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 26 °CJF: 27 °CFM: 28 °CMA: 29 °CAM: 28 °CMJ: 28 °CJJ: 27 °CJA: 27 °CAS: 27 °CSO: 27 °CON: 27 °CND: 27 °CD29 °C

This site has effectively no heating season (tropical/equatorial climate), so winter heat loss is not the driver here. The thermal concern shifts to year-round process heat and humidity/heat-driven corrosion of hot equipment.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
49/100environmental-severity index
2.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
36 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #6 largest coal power plant of 8 in Cambodia by capacity.

Cambodia has 8 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 5,360 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 10.7402, 103.5808 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Sihanoukville CEL power station?

Sihanoukville CEL power station is a 250 MW source-record coal power plant in Preah Sihanouk, Cambodia, commissioned in 2014.

How many homes can Sihanoukville CEL power station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 312,857 homes (estimated).

Who operates Sihanoukville CEL power station?

Sihanoukville CEL power station is operated by Cambodian Energy Limited.

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