Inaugural Project Steering Committee (PSC) Meeting Sets Strategic Path for Cambodia’s Transition to Low-Carbon Buildings

Phnom Penh, Cambodia, September 2, 2024 – Cambodia is taking a major step toward achieving its climate goals with the first Project Steering Committee (PSC) meeting for the Asia Low Carbon Buildings Transition (ALCBT) project. Held at the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning, and Construction (MLMUPC), this key gathering marked the official launch of the project’s governance structure and reviewed significant accomplishments from its first year of implementation.

Chaired by H.E. Dr. Ros Salin, Secretary of State at MLMUPC, the meeting brought together key stakeholders, including Ms. Shomi Kim, GGGI Cambodia Country Representative, and Dr. Tabea Junk, Technical Project Manager at the International Climate Initiative (IKI) Office at ZUG, along with all PSC members, and Dr. Gidon Windecker, Deputy Head of Cooperation at the German Embassy in Cambodia.

Over the past decades Cambodia is experiencing rapid economic growth, including a construction boom. In large urban centers including in the capital Phnom Penh, there is a rise of new government buildings, housing complexes, office spaces, retail centers, and hotels, among others. This surge of new construction is expected to increase demand for construction materials and energy, particularly for cooling systems in Cambodia’s humid climate. The ALCBT project aims to capitalize on this opportunity by assisting the Royal Government of Cambodia and industry stakeholders in addressing regulatory, capacity, and financing gaps by promoting the adoption of low-carbon building standards and practices. These sustainable practices are expected to support further growth and attract additional investment in Cambodia’s building sector.

In her opening statemen  t, Ms. Shomi Kim emphasized the significance of the project’s outcomes in fostering green building development and creating financial pathways for low-carbon building investments in the country. She highlighted MLMUPC’s crucial role in leading the development of a building registry and a professional training program focused on low-carbon buildings. Ms. Kim expressed gratitude for the generous financial support from the Federal Government of Germany and acknowledged the contributions of the consortium partners, including the ASEAN Center for Energy (ACE), HEAT International, and Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL).

The project team presented an overview of the project’s scope, progress to date, and the implementation plan for the coming year. In Cambodia, the ALCBT project aims to integrate a building carbon assessment tool into national practices, strengthen public and private sector capabilities, mobilize green investments, and align with the country’s energy efficiency policies and climate change commitments regarding greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions.

H. E. Dr. Ros Salin highlighted that the ALCBT project has achieved significant milestones in its first year since its inception in August 2023. This progress has laid a strong foundation for the project’s ongoing efforts to reduce GHG emissions in the building sector and promote sustainable development in Cambodia.

As the meeting concluded, the PSC approved the ALCBT project’s progress in its first year and endorsed the priorities for its second year. Key milestones for 2025 include the rollout of a professional training program, establishing baseline GHG emissions in the building sector, developing policy recommendations, and creating scenarios for achieving net-zero emissions in buildings. The PSC Chair closed the meeting by emphasizing the importance of integrating the project’s results and recommendations into Cambodia’s forthcoming national construction policy, currently under development.

About ALCBT Project

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 namely, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. In India, ALCBT project will institutionalize the Building Carbon Assessment (BCA) tools and approaches, build the capacity of public and private sector entities, and link BCA to the implementation of building energy codes in three states. It will enhance building energy codes towards nationally determined ambitious standard using CO2eq/ m2/ year as a common performance metric. 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) is partnership with Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) from India, HEAT International from Germany, and ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) from Indonesia. 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).