Cambodia scrambles for fuel as neighbors curb exports
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- Cambodia is importing more fuel from Singapore and Malaysia to offset shortfalls from Vietnam and China, Energy Minister Keo Rottanak told Reuters, as the US-Israeli war on Iran squeezes global fuel availability.
- Vietnam and China have restricted fuel exports until at least end-March to guard against domestic shortages, while Thailand banned exports in July 2025 after armed conflict with Cambodia and has not resumed; Thailand and Vietnam together accounted for over 60% of Cambodia's petroleum imports in 2024.
- About a third of Cambodia's 6,300 petrol stations closed last week over uncertainty about conflict-driven fuel prices, but only 5.77% remain shuttered currently, Rottanak said.
- Cambodia has no oil refinery and holds less than a month's supply of diesel, jet fuel, LPG, and petrol under normal conditions, according to the energy minister.
- Gasoline and diesel exports from Singapore and Malaysia to Cambodia in the first 18 days of May were 25% higher than the same period last year but 40% lower than the final 18 days of February, Kpler data showed.
- Cambodia held preliminary talks this month with Australia's Woodside Energy to secure LNG for a 900-megawatt power plant expected to begin generation next year, with Australian supply seen as a hedge against geopolitical risk.
- Rottanak said Cambodia's rapid renewable energy buildout has partially insulated it from Middle East oil shocks, and argued the crisis should accelerate an interconnected ASEAN power grid.
Why it matters: With no domestic refinery and less than a month of fuel reserves, Cambodia depended on Thailand and Vietnam for over 60% of its 2024 petroleum imports — and all three of those suppliers plus China are now restricting or banning exports. The pivot to Singapore, Malaysia, and Australian LNG (for a 900MW plant due online next year) signals an accelerated diversification push, while the energy minister's ASEAN grid pitch reframes the crisis as a regional resilience argument.
