“Leave no one behind”. A power-capabilities-energy justice perspective on energy transition in remote rural communities in Cambodia

Over the past two decades electricity access in Cambodia has increased considerably. The Electricity Authority of Cambodia has announced that the country expanded energy access from 34% in 2010 to 98% by mid-2022, but that 245 villages still lack access to the national distribution network due to their remoteness. For some of these villages, off-grid renewable energy systems have played a significant role in providing electricity access. However, connecting villages to the grid or providing them with off-grid renewable energy is not enough to overcome energy poverty and achieve people’s well-being. In this paper we apply a power-capabilities-energy justice framework to analyse social justice concerning renewable energy and energy poverty in remote communities. Based on primary data collected through interviews and focus group discussions, and using a social network analysis (SNA) we approach capabilities and energy poverty in Cambodia as a relational process and we provide for the first time a through picture of social and power relations in the Cambodian energy sector. Our study finds that communities and vulnerable groups such as female-headed households, located in remote rural areas are suffering distributional energy injustice in that they have access to a limited range of energy services to fulfil basic capabilities, such as being in good health, being educated and socially connected. We also find that distributional energy injustice is closely connected to power relations and relationality aspects of the Cambodian energy sector, as well as a lack of recognition of different vulnerabilities in energy policies.