Bangladesh to receive additional $130 million for rural energy project

The World Bank has approved $130 million in financing to support rural access to energy in Bangladesh. This new funding builds on the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Development Credit and is targeted toward three programs for the south Asian country on the Bay of Bengal. Financing will focus on solar home systems in rural areas, compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL) and additional energy distribution networks.

With more than 250 000 rural applications worldwide solar home systems are a cost-effective way to improve rural quality of life. The plan in Bangladesh is to provide electricity to 300 000 households through solar home applications. "Many of these households in poor areas are too remote to connect to the electricity grid and would never receive electricity through conventional electrification methods,” states Rob Floyd, Acting World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh.

In areas of the country with the highest electricity demand 10 million CFLs will be distributed to replace incandescent bulbs. The Government’s long-term objective is to replace all incandescents with 30 million CFLs in the long term. “Replacing these lamps, which will be free of charge for residential consumers, is expected to reduce the peak demand by about 360 MW,” said Raihan Elahi, Senior Energy Specialist and Task Leader for the project.

Only 40 percent of Bangladesh has access to electricity and demand is growing at a rate of over 500 MW a year. Per capita electricity generation is among the lowest in the world, at about 165 kWh per year and REREDC supports the continued renovation of the electricity distribution network. The development credit provides financing for renewable energy projects that include biomass and biogas power plants among other initiatives.

The World Bank credit is additional financing for REREDC. Since 2003 REREDC has connected 600 000 consumers to the electricity grid and constructed about 8 500 km of new distribution in addition to the solar home systems.

Oxfam: Climate change could leave 75 million homeless

In the midst of a three-day meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh 21 of the poorest countries in Africa and the Asia-Pacific who are trying to draft a climate change declaration received ominous news.

Oxfam Australia says that climate change could leave up to 75 million people in the Asia-Pacific region homeless by 2050. The Future is Here: Climate Change says that these island nations are already suffering from drought, food shortages and rising water levels.

“People are already leaving their homes because of climate change, with projections that 75 million people in the Asia-Pacific region will be forced to relocate by 2050 if climate change continues unabated," says Oxfam Australia Executive Director Andrew Hewett. "Not all will have the option of relocating within their own country, so it’s vital that the Australian Government starts working with Pacific governments to plan for this now.”

The Australian government which has committed $150 million to help islanders adapt to climate change will host the Pacific Islands Forum next week where climate change talks are expected to dominate the proceedings. Hewett adds that Australia needs to show leadership at the meetings and that it is willing to do its fair share to mitigate climate change in the region.

To meet existing needs in the region Oxfam says that Australia should immediately double its financial commitment to $300 million and cut its emissions to 40 percent below 1990 levels.

The report details how nations at risk have already begun to adapt. In Micronesia and parts of the Solomon Islands villagers have been forced to move to higher ground. Mangroves and native grasses have been planted on Fiji in an effort to abate coastal erosion. Other measures have been put in place to protect Fijian food staples and water supply.

In Dhaka, the Bangladesh minister for environment and forests, Mostafizur Rahman said, "It is a matter of life and death for us." The countries attending the Dhaka conference are low carbon emitters who suffer disproportionate to their carbon footprint. By speaking with one voice these vulnerable nations hope to be heard during the Copenhagen round of climate change talks in December.