Cambodia Rejects Mongabay Report on Forest Clearance at Two Koh Kong Hydropower Projects
Cambodia Rejects Mongabay Report on Forest Clearance at Two Koh Kong Hydropower Projects
PHNOM PENH, Sept. 10, 2026 — Cambodian Minister of Mines and Energy Keo Rottanak has rejected a recent Mongabay report alleging forest clearance and logging beyond government-approved areas at two hydropower projects in Koh Kong province.
In a statement on September 9, Keo Rottanak said there had been no forest clearance beyond what the government had authorised at the Stung Russei Chrum Kandal and Veal Thmor Kambot hydropower projects.
The minister was responding to a September 2 investigation by environmental news organisation Mongabay, which reported that satellite imagery appeared to show forest clearance and logging beyond the approved reservoir areas of the two projects.
Mongabay reported that the 70-megawatt Stung Russei Chrum Kandal project and 100-megawatt Veal Thmor Kambot project are being developed in Cambodia’s Cardamom region, with both located within Phnom Kravanh National Park.
The investigation said developers were authorised to clear forest within a 2,898-hectare area that would eventually be flooded by the Russei Chrum Kandal reservoir. However, Mongabay said satellite imagery showed what appeared to be a sawmill and a network of roads outside the designated reservoir area, with forest clearance extending as far as three kilometres beyond the construction site.
For Veal Thmor Kambot, Mongabay reported that satellite imagery showed what appeared to be a similar sawmill and roads extending up to five kilometres beyond the planned reservoir boundaries. The publication said two independent forestry experts it consulted considered the imagery consistent with selective logging.
Minister Rejects Allegations
Keo Rottanak said the report was inaccurate and rejected the suggestion that forest had been cleared beyond the areas authorised by the Cambodian government.
He explained that forest clearance activities visible around the projects were related to access roads, timber storage areas, stone extraction sites and red-soil and gravel extraction areas within the project zones.
According to the minister, these activities are intended to facilitate the collection and transportation of forest products and by-products from areas that will eventually be submerged by reservoir waters.
He said the timber and forest products are being collected before flooding and constitute revenue for the state, while the related activities have been authorised by the government and are intended to support construction of the two hydropower projects.
The Ministry of Mines and Energy and Ministry of Environment have also rejected the allegations, according to local reports, saying the activities were authorised and linked to the preparation of the reservoir areas and construction of the dams.
Keo Rottanak characterised Mongabay’s conclusions as politically motivated and said government institutions had already conducted studies of the projects’ potential impacts and benefits.
Disputed Claims Over Forest Clearance
Mongabay, meanwhile, based its reporting on satellite imagery, interviews and assessments by forestry experts. Its investigation said the forest clearance observed outside the reservoir boundaries did not correspond with publicly available plans for the dams.
The publication also reported that local residents described timber trucks leaving the area and that access to parts of the project sites was restricted.
The competing accounts mean that the extent and legality of forest clearance beyond the approved reservoir areas remain disputed.
The controversy comes as Cambodia continues to expand hydropower generation as part of its efforts to strengthen domestic energy security and increase the share of renewable energy in its electricity supply.
The two projects are located in the environmentally sensitive Cardamom landscape, an area containing extensive protected forests and important wildlife habitats. Mongabay reported that the projects are situated within Phnom Kravanh National Park and that the Veal Thmor Kambot project also overlaps the Southern Cardamom REDD+ project area.
For now, Cambodia’s government maintains that all forest clearance associated with the two projects is within authorised areas and serves legitimate reservoir preparation and construction purposes, while Mongabay stands by its findings based on satellite imagery and other evidence.
