ADB unveils program to provide broader access to modern energy
- Source: Xinhua
- [18:22 June 17 2009]
- Comments
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has launched a partnership program that aims to provide access to modern energy to an additional 100 million people in the Asia- Pacific region by 2015, the bank said Wednesday.
The Energy for All Partnership, launched in ADB's headquarters in Manila, will support an initial phase of six working groups on domestic biogas, solar lanterns, liquid petroleum gas (LPG), financing for energy services, energy enterprise development, and the Pacific region, the ADB said in a press release.
The working groups will design and implement programs in high- impact areas such as increasing microfinance lending for energy investments, or replicating business models for private sector service delivery, it added.
ADB Vice President Schaefer-Preuss said the Energy for All Partnership will emphasize low cost, environmentally friendly technologies and innovative financing mechanisms that will enable even the poorest households to gain access to energy.
"The benefits of modern energy extend across the spectrum of human development, from improved health, education, and social equality, to increased economic opportunity and higher agricultural productivity," she said.
The ADB said more than 800 million people in the Asia-Pacific region have no access to energy, and nearly 1.8 billion people still rely on traditional biomass fuels to meet their cooking and heating needs.