After five years of construction work, the Lower Sesan II hydroelectric power facility in northeastern Cambodia has been inaugurated.

The 400 MW Lower Sesan II dam, 56.5 metres tall, covers a 36,000-hectare plot, according to Cambodian Minister of Mines and Energy Suy Sem.

The 400 MW project has been built under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) structure, and the developers have a 40-year operating concession.

The joint venture is led by Chinese firm Huaneng Hydrolancang International Energy (51%), Cambodia's Royal Group owning (39%) and Vietnamese EVN International Joint Stock Company (10%). Total project cost was US$781 million.

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian were present at the inauguration ceremony.

Fan Qixiang, vice president of China Huaneng Group, the parent company of Huaneng Hydrolancang International Energy, said the project was an example of the good cooperation between Cambodia and China under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

This is the biggest and the seventh Chinese-built hydropower dam in Cambodia. It will supply electricity to Stung Treng province, but also to other provinces and capital Phnom Penh. The seven dams are capable of generating a total of 1,328 MWs, or around half of the country's electricity production.