Cambodia cuts Thai electricity supply, triggering blackouts in Poipet

Poipet city, which borders Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province, experienced temporary blackouts and unstable power supply on Tuesday after Cambodian authorities disconnected electricity imported from Thailand.

According to Nation TV, at around 9am, after the Poipet checkpoint in Banteay Meanchey province reopened, officials from Cambodia’s electric utility cut the power line from Thailand at a utility pole beside the Poipet Immigration Office, near the Thai-Cambodian Friendship Bridge.

Shortly after the disconnection, electricity officials in Poipet reconnected the power system using supply purchased from Vietnam, feeding it into the local grid.

This switch caused a power outage in Poipet lasting approximately 20 minutes. Residents reported that electricity had resumed but was now sourced from Vietnam. However, they noted the new power supply was unstable, with some areas experiencing flickering or intermittent blackouts due to voltage drops.

Meanwhile, Thai authorities also reported the incident. At around 10.30am on Tuesday, the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) in Aranyaprathet district was informed that Cambodian power officials had requested to disconnect a 22kV ARB04 circuit at Ban Khlong Luek, Aranyaprathet, at 3am to test supply from Cambodia’s internal grid.

The Ayutthaya power control centre rejected the disconnection request and instructed that any such action must be officially submitted in writing to the PEA before being authorised.



However, Thai officials later discovered that at around 6am on June 17, Cambodian power authorities had gone ahead and disconnected both power circuits at Ban Khlong Luek. 

The cut-off points were located at coordinates TA3497911618 near the Poipet-Khlong Luek checkpoint, and TA3499611628 at a pole near the railway bridge just in front of the checkpoint.

(2025/06/18-00:00)