Listen to the audio version of this article (generated by AI).
A developer of Cambodia’s first wind farm may have illegally cleared land inside a wildlife sanctuary, a provincial official said. The project has already drawn anger from Indigenous communities in Mondulkiri province.
Has Vibol, director of the Mondulkiri’s Environment Department, said the clearing occurred along the border of the Phnom Prich and Keo Seima wildlife sanctuaries between July 18 and 20. He said the company, SchneiTec Co, “cleared the wrong location.”
“I can’t say with 100% certainty, but experts are working to determine whether the cleared site was an approved location or not,” Vibol said, adding that authorities have halted the excavation while they investigate and have summoned the company to explain.
Vibol said the cleared area covered about half a hectare of tree canopy, including an access road roughly 142 meters long. But CamboJA News reporters who visited the site on July 19 observed multiple roads in the area had a combined length exceeding that figure, and the cleared area appeared larger than half a hectare.
SchneiTec did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The company is one of several developing a 900-megawatt (MW) wind farm in the province as part of Cambodia’s push to expand renewable energy and meet rising electricity demand.
Indigenous Bunong communities in the area say land clearing and project activity began with limited consultation, raising concerns over access to ancestral land, livelihoods and cultural sites. Developers linked to the project have also previously been involved in energy infrastructure projects associated with displacement.
“The site we approved for their project is nearby, so this may be a technical error on their part,” Vibol said. “We need to review it again. If the company is at fault, they will be held responsible.”
SchneiTec’s portion of the wind farm will include 49 turbines on nearly 40 hectares, according to an impact assessment obtained by CamboJA News. Nearly all of the turbines are slated to be built inside Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary, with one inside Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary.
Conservation groups have said they support the projects, provided measures are taken to reduce risks to wildlife and respect the rights of local and Indigenous communities.
“The project provides an alternative source of electricity to replace fossil fuels, reduce carbon emissions and air pollution, and contribute to environmental protection and climate change mitigation,” SchneiTec said in the assessment, adding that it would deliver social and economic benefits and that consultations with affected communities had been conducted.
The impact assessment said the project will cost more than $185 million and create more than 100 construction jobs and about a dozen permanent positions. It said the broader project area – the entire leased zone – will cover more than 6,900 hectares, an area that stands in stark contrast to the small landholdings many local communities have struggled to formally title.
The total investment for the entire 900MW wind farm remains unclear.
San Leb, a Bunong resident of Laoka village, said she was troubled by the recent clearing inside the sanctuary.
“I feel deeply saddened,” she said. “Our elders have always told us this is an ancient forest. It is home to many wildlife species. We once wanted to turn it into an ecotourism site to generate income for the community.”
Another resident, Pleuk Navy, said locals often collect forest products in the area and fear further development could limit access and clear more forest.
Construction for SchneiTec’s project and one other company’s wind project is due to be completed by mid-2027, said Ty Sophal, director of Mondulkiri’s Department of Mines and Energy.
Sophal said Cambodia needs clean energy to reduce reliance on electricity imports from neighboring countries and meet growing domestic demand.
“Development always comes with impacts,” he said. “Before proceeding, the ministry carefully considered the environmental and social impacts. We determined that the effects are not severe enough to prevent development.”
The tensions surrounding the project come as the government aims to raise renewables to 70% of installed electricity capacity by 2030, up from 63% currently.
