The Universal Energy Facility (UEF) – a multi-donor results-based financing facility managed by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) – is signing several grant agreements with mini-grid companies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Madagascar and Sierra Leone in the coming weeks. The grantees will receive financial support to build solar mini-grids in communities without access to clean energy and where other polluting energy sources, such as diesel and petrol generators, charcoal and firewood, are common.
“Accelerating access to reliable, sustainable and affordable electricity to those most in need is the central focus of UEF and its partners,” said Anita Otubu, Senior Director of the UEF. “This is a big step and the first of many we need to take to continue improving people’s lives in Africa. Access to clean energy is a life-changing step that leads to economic growth, empowering women, reducing C02 emissions, and creating jobs – among other benefits.”
The $10.4 million of additional funding is for 17,628 connections distributed among six companies, benefiting an estimated 88,000 people in 29 communities in the three countries. During the next 12 months, the beneficiaries will construct and commission 29 mini-grids with an estimated 3.7MW of renewable energy capacity installed, leading to an avoidance of approximately 1,800 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions per year.
“Once again, the UEF proves to be a rapid, cost-effective solution for accelerating the deployment of clean energy grants,” said Edward Borgstein, Managing Director at the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), a UEF donor. “As a partner, having access to a robust and efficient mechanism to get funds to work is crucial as we seek to accelerate electricity access in some of the world’s most energy-poor locations.”
Full details on each country’s needs and program can be found in the release here.