Cambodia: The Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) has issued a licence for a new cement plant project in Kratie province with a registered investment capital of US$286m, according to the Khmer Times. In its annual report released in January 2026, the CDC said that the project was approved under the qualified investment project framework. Ung Dipola, director-general for Mineral Resources at the Ministry of Mines and Energy, confirmed that the cement capacity of the plant is 1Mt/yr and would bring the total number of cement plants in the country to seven. It is expected to be operational by the end of 2026 or 2027.
Cambodia currently has six operational cement plants - Kampot Cement, Battambang Conch Cement, Chip Mong Insee Cement, Cambodia Cement, Thai Boon Roong Cement and Conch KT Cement - which together produce around 14Mt/yr. Domestic cement demand is estimated at 9-10Mt/yr.
Dipola said that the sector has demonstrated resilient supply capacity, allowing Cambodia to meet domestic demand and even export cement. Since 2023, the country has imported only small volumes of cement, having transitioned from full reliance on imports to self-sufficiency and export capability. Cambodia approved 3503 construction projects in 2025 with a total investment value of US$7.32bn, up 69% year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction. Meanwhile, data from the Ministry of Commerce showed imports of construction materials reached US$2.36bn between January and November 2025, a 31% increase compared to the same period a year earlier.
