ADB approves $325 million for Pakistan’s Energy security

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $325 million loan to help enhance Pakistan’s energy security. It will provide support to install renewable energy projects and improve people’s access to electricity in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province (KPP) and Punjab. ADB will also provide a $750,000 grant as technical assistance for capacity development and monitoring the programme’s performance. The programme involves the installation of renewable energy power plants, including the construction of 1,000 micro-hydropower plants (MHPs) in the off-grid areas of KPP. It will also provide and install rooftop solar plants for 23,000 schools and over 2,500 primary healthcare facilities in two provinces and a university in Bahawalpur, Punjab. The MHPs and solar plants will provide electricity to around 1.5 million people in rural areas. The loan is part of ADB’s commitment to double its annual climate financing to $6 billion for Asia-Pacific by 2020.