Photo 1. Participants of the National Consultation Workshop in Cambodia
Phnom Penh, 8 October 2025 – The ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), together with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), under the Asia Low-Carbon Buildings Transition (ALCBT) Project, organised Cambodia’s National Consultation Workshop on Energy Service Company (ESCO) Market Assessment, On-Bill Financing (OBF) Readiness Study, and Green Public Procurement (GPP) Guidelines. As part of Clean Energy Week Cambodia 2025, the event was held at Orchard Hall, Baitong Hotel & Resort, Phnom Penh, on 8 October 2025. The workshop gathered 60 participants, including 18 women (30%), representing government ministries, financial institutions, building developers, academia, technology providers, and development partners.
Photo 2. Opening Remarks from Rizky Aditya Putra, Programme Manager of ALCBT Project, ACE (Left) and Nathalie Andre, Country Representative of GGGI Cambodia (Right).
The event began with opening remarks from Rizky Aditya Putra, Programme Manager of ALCBT at ACE. He emphasised that achieving the region’s decarbonisation goals will require substantial investment in the building sector and the ALCBT project seeks to identify opportunities for implementing Energy Service Company (ESCO) business models and Green Public Procurement (GPP) approaches across Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, to accelerate the market transition toward low-carbon buildings.
Next, Nathalie Andre, Country Representative of GGGI Cambodia, stated that GGGI is honoured to support the implementation of the ALCBT Project in Cambodia, working closely with the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning, and Construction (MLMUPC) to institutionalise low-carbon building tools and strengthen national capacity. She remarked, “Energy efficiency is one of the most cost-effective pathways to achieve Cambodia’s sustainable development and climate targets. By mainstreaming ESCO models and green public procurement practices, we can create a win-win situation for the environment, for the economy, and for citizens”.
Photo 3. Opening Remarks from Heang Bora, Deputy Director General, Ministry of Mines and Energy
Following this, Heang Bora, Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), Cambodia, emphasised Cambodia’s strong commitment to enhancing energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions as part of its National Energy Efficiency Policy (NEEP) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), aiming for carbon neutral by 2050. “Cambodia’s building sector is rapidly expanding, driving higher energy demand. Through enabling ESCO markets, innovative financing such as On-Bill Financing, and Green Public Procurement, we can transform this challenge into an opportunity for sustainable growth and energy security,” he said.
Photo 4. Scene Setting by Gnan Bora, Chief of Energy Efficiency and Conservation Office, MME
The first session, presented by Gnan Bora, Chief of Energy Efficiency and Conservation Office, presented Cambodia’s latest Policy on Energy Efficiency Standards and Labelling (S&L) and Energy Service Company (ESCO) Promotion. He highlighted that Cambodia targets a 19% reduction in national energy consumption by 2030, supported by Sub-Decree No. 254 and a series of Prakas outlining registration, labelling, and compliance mechanisms for energy-using equipment such as air conditioners. He also introduced a new ESCO registration and certification process, which will allow qualified energy service providers to operate under a standardized framework and receive official recognition from MME.
Photo 5. Scene-Setting by . Sophea LUN, Cambodia National Project Coordinator, ACE
Following the first session, Sophea Lun, Cambodia Project Coordinator at ACE, provided an overview of the ALCBT Project and ACE’s ongoing activities in Cambodia, including the ESCO Market Assessment, On-Bill Financing Readiness Study, and the development of Green Public Procurement Guidelines for Air Conditioners.
Photo 6. Hazim Rosli, Manager of Asia Energy Transition Lead, The Carbon Trust
Experts from The Carbon Trust shared the key findings of the ESCO Policy Review and Market Assessment Study and the On-Bill Financing (OBF) Readiness Study. They presented the potential market size, institutional readiness, and policy recommendations for piloting ESCO projects and OBF schemes. Interactive breakout sessions followed, where participants discussed enabling policies, financing models, and priority sectors for early ESCO implementation in Cambodia.
Photo 7. Breakout Session
Photo 8. Presentation of the key findings from On-Bill Financing (OBF) Readiness Study in Cambodia
The session on On-Bill Financing (OBF) Readiness was delivered by experts from The Carbon Trust, who presented the key findings of the Cambodia study. They explained how the OBF mechanism could provide an innovative pathway to scale up energy efficiency investment by allowing customers to repay efficiency upgrades through their regular utility bills. The presentation outlined Cambodia’s current market readiness, including the roles of utilities, regulatory bodies, and financing institutions, while also identifying barriers for its adoption.
Photo 9. Sopin Wachirapuwadon, IIEC presenting GPP findings and demonstrating the GPP procurement tool
The afternoon session focused on Green Public Procurement (GPP) for energy-efficient cooling systems, presented by the International Institute for Energy Conservation (IIEC). The presentation highlighted the findings from Cambodia’s GPP policy review and market assessment, which examined the best available technologies (BAT) for air conditioners and lessons learned from other ASEAN Member States. The study underscored that tailored procurement criteria could help the Cambodian government and institutions integrate energy efficiency into purchasing decisions, thereby driving demand for high-performance appliances.
Photo 10. Closing Remarks by Julie Robles, ALCBT Project Manager, Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI)
The Workshop concluded with remarks from Julie Robles, ALCBT Regional Project Manager at GGGI, who expressed appreciation to ACE, partners, and all participants for their active engagement throughout the discussions. She emphasized that the insights gathered will be instrumental in refining ESCO market recommendations, shaping potential On-Bill Financing schemes, and operationalising the Green Public Procurement Guidelines for energy-efficient cooling to support Cambodia’s transition toward low-carbon buildings.
The ALCBT Project is a five-year multi-stakeholder project that aims to facilitate the nationwide transition towards Low Carbon Buildings in five Asian countries: Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. The ALCBT project will institutionalise the Building Carbon Assessment tools and approaches, build the capacity of public and private sector entities, and facilitate the mobilisation of financing for low-carbon building projects. Successful implementation of the project will substantially reduce direct GHG emissions from the building sector by 2028. The ALCBT project is being implemented by the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and in partnership with HEAT International from Germany, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) from India, and ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE). It is supported by the Government of Germany through its Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) under the International Climate Initiative (IKI).
