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Cambodia’s First Building Energy Benchmarks Reveal US$10 Million in Investment Opportunities
Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 5 October 2026 – The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), in collaboration with the European Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia (EuroCham), convened nearly 100 representatives from the public and private sectors for the workshop, “Advancing Low-Carbon, Bankable Buildings in Cambodia: From Design Assessment to Investment Pipeline.”
The event marked the public presentation of Cambodia’s first building-sector energy and carbon benchmarks under GGGI’s Asia Low Carbon Buildings Transition (ALCBT) project, identifying over US$10 million in potential energy-efficiency investments.
Through ALCBT, GGGI has supported the development of a national building registry, now covering 1,235 buildings, and conducted detailed energy assessments of 250 buildings across Phnom Penh and Kandal Province. The assessments covered various building types, including residential, retail, hospitality, education, healthcare, and offices.
The findings revealed that retail buildings had the highest energy use intensity (205.5 kWh/m²/year), followed by hospitality (171.0 kWh/m²/year) and commercial offices (131.6 kWh/m²/year). Cambodia’s commercial office buildings also recorded lower energy use intensity than the benchmarks in the other countries in the region.
The assessments further identified 12 energy conservation measures available in the local market, including energy-efficient lighting, air-conditioning upgrades, and improved building operations. These findings provide an evidence base to help building owners, policymakers, and financial institutions identify opportunities to improve building performance and make informed investment decisions.
The workshop explored opportunities to turn energy-efficiency assessments into bankable projects, with discussions covering Cambodia’s sustainable finance taxonomy for the banking sector, the building taxonomy under development, and available green financing mechanisms. Participants also learned about ALCBT’s technical assistance, including energy audits, financial assessments, and support in connecting building owners with potential financing partners.
Bringing together government representatives, building owners, developers, architects, financial institutions, energy service companies, and other stakeholders, the event also provided an opportunity to share key progress and outputs from the ALCBT project in Cambodia, facilitate networking, and explore potential collaborations.
Building on the 250 assessments, ALCBT will continue expanding its building energy assessments to strengthen the evidence base, identify additional investment opportunities, and support the transition toward a more energy-efficient and low-carbon building sector in Cambodia.
About ALCBT
The Asia Low Carbon Buildings Transition (ALCBT) Project is a five-year multi-stakeholder project that seeks to reduce GHG emissions by catalysing nationwide transition towards Low Carbon Buildings in five Asian countries, namely Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Thailand, and Viet Nam. In Cambodia, the project works in close collaboration with the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning, and Construction (MLMUPC) as the government counterpart. The project will institutionalize a building carbon assessment tool, integrate it with national energy codes, and support the country’s climate targets outlined in the NEEP and NDCs.
The ALCBT project is implemented by the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) in partnership with the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), and HEAT International. It is supported by Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) through the International Climate Initiative (IKI).
