Largest cold storage facility breaks ground
THE largest temperature-controlled cold storage and cross-docking facility in Cambodia – which will be able to handle up to 25 per cent of the Kingdom’s total requirements – has broken ground in Kandal province.
The Kandal Cold Storage project, which had its groundbreaking ceremony on March 22 in Kien Svay district, was funded by Private
Infrastructure Development Group company InfraCo Asia through a partnership with local company Khmer Cold Chain Co Ltd (KCCC) and the Phnom Penh Autonomous Port (PPAP).
InfraCo Asia CEO Allard Nooy said at the ceremony that the facilities were designed with the intention to better facilitate imports for Cambodian customers.
“The cold storage and cross-docking facilities that we begin building today have been designed to serve Cambodian industry, including farmers, agribusinesses, food retailers and pharmaceutical companies, to gain access to regional export markets as well as facilitate the import of products for local customers,” he added.
The project has been developed by Infunde Development, InfraCo Asia’s dedicated developer team for Southeast Asia.
PPAP, a partner of KCCC, will be supporting the development and operation of the 50-foot cross-docking facility.
PPAP CEO Hei Bavy said that the groundbreaking announces to the international business industry and investors the availability of cold storage facilities at the port to serve their needs.
“Through enhancing the logistics sector in Cambodia, the cold storage facility will contribute significantly to the country’s economic growth,” he said.
Minister of Public Works and Transport Sun Chanthol, who presided over the groundbreaking ceremony, noted that the facility is crucial to supporting Cambodia’s economic development.
“We appreciate the development partners and the private sector for having confidence in our government
and investing in this cool chain storage facility,” he said.
The facility at the PPAP will be able to handle up to 25 per cent of the country’s total storage requirements.
Chanthol also took the opportunity to further encourage private sector companies to consider investing in the Kingdom’s infrastructure. “The Cambodian government alone cannot provide all the infrastructure the country needs,” he said. “We need a private sector and dialogue partner, and we need the private sector to be our partner in building the entire infrastructure required in Cambodia.”
According to Kandal Cold Storage project’s feasibility study, an additional 140,000 cubic metres of capacity must be added to Cambodia’s existing cold storage volume to meet its supply chain needs by 2030. The new facilities at PPAP will supply 36,205 cubic metres – filling more than 25 per cent of the current gap – to meet this increasing market demand.