Cambodia’s energy minister said the oil shock from the Middle East conflict has increased urgency to resolve a long-running maritime dispute with Thailand.
FILE PHOTO: The logo of French oil and gas company TotalEnergies is seen at a petrol station in Paris, France, March 25, 2026. REUTERS/Abdul Saboor/File Photo
28 May 2026 04:58AM
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: The oil shock from the Iran conflict has created renewed urgency for Cambodia to resolve a festering maritime dispute with Thailand and unlock undersea energy resources worth US$300 billion, Cambodia's energy minister said on Wednesday (May 27).Iran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz, the conduit for about a fifth of the global oil supply, has turned conflict there into the worst-ever global energy crisis.Cambodia is relying on renewable energy sources including hydropower and a growing solar capacity to weather the current crisis, but its hopes for further industrialisation rest on more fossil fuel assets, Minister of Mines and Energy Keo Rottanak told Reuters in an interview."Before the crisis, perhaps all nations could take energy security a bit more lightly," he said. "But the ongoing crisis, especially the pressure from the Strait of Hormuz, has only brought energy security of any nation into sharper focus."
