ADB Signs $6 Million Grant to Expand Renewable Energy in Vanuatu
(ADB) will provide a $6 million grant and the Government of Vanuatu $1.2 million to establish a network to deliver renewable energy to the people of Malekula and Espiritu Santo islands.

The ADB-supported Vanuatu Energy Access Project will help construct a 400-kilowatt Brenwe hydropower plant and extend the two islands’ electricity grids to deliver sustainable, affordable power to residents and businesses.

The additional funding, signed today by Vanuatu Minister of Finance and Economic Management Johnny Koanapo Rasou and ADB Vanuatu Pacific Country Office Unit Head and Senior Infrastructure Specialist David Fay, will be used to upgrade power distribution networks from a single wire to a three-phase system. This will prevent the need for future upgrades when demand increases and will deliver safer power due to an improved fault detection mechanism.

The project began in 2017 with $15.1 funding from ADB,