A technical assistance was approved in July to support developing member countries in Southeast Asia to phase out coal-fired generation plants and accelerate clean energy deployment in the region. One of the outputs of the TA is a feasibility study on the establishment, structure, mechanics, and governance of an Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM) that will facilitate the early decommissioning of coal-fired plants in the region. The ETM entails a concerted effort among various players including ADB, commercial banks, the private sector, and governments.

ADB approved a loan that will modernize the power distribution system in Timor-Leste and strengthen the utility, Electricidade de Timor-Leste in the amount of $35 million. The loan will help provide sustainable, reliable electricity to 12 municipalities in the country.The Power Distribution Modernization Project is ADB’s first power sector project in Timor-Leste. It will install 140,000 smart meters and utilize prepaid cards to manage household electricity consumption.

Since it was the HLT Fund was established in 2017, it has supported 12 investment projects, 37 technical assistance projects, and 23 direct charges.

Following the launch of the Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM) on 3 November, the Government of Japan (GOJ) announced a grant of $25 million toward the Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM) partnership led by ADB.

On 4 May, the draft Energy Policy paper was circulated to the members of the ADB Board for their and capitals’ review.

The Board, on 20 September approved increased financing of $60 million for the Electricity Grid Modernization Project in Nepal. The additional investments aim to increase electricity consumption per capita to 700 kilowatt hours by 2026 through the expansion of the transmission capacity and distribution networks in the country.The additional financing will support the construction of 16 kilometers of 132-kilovolt transmission lines from Nepalgunj to Kohalpur and from Chovar to Lagankhel.

On 1 December, the Board approved the Urban Transport Electrification Project with ADB providing $50.65 million in loan and grants to the Kyrgyz Republic for the purchase of 120 modern, battery-electric buses that will replace outdated diesel and trolleybuses.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (29 April 2020) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $346 million loan to India to help provide efficient and reliable power connection to rural agriculture customers in the state of Maharashtra.Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India, and about half of the state’s labor force is engaged in agriculture and related activities in the rural areas. Agriculture output, however, has been impacted by lack of irrigation, less-than-efficient use of electricity and water, as well as inadequate storage and connectivity to markets.

President Masa and IEA Fatih Birol held a videoconference on 8 June to discuss future collaboration between ADB and the IEA. ADB first signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the IEA in 2017 to facilitate knowledge and analytical work to pursue clean energy development in ADB DMCs. The areas of potential collaboration include how to increase the resilience of energy systems in Asia and the Pacific to better cope with extreme weather as a result of climate change or pandemic-induced supply interruptions, and the use of new technologies such as green hydrogen.

Building up on a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2017 President Masa and International Energy Agency Executive Director, Fatih Birol signed a new MOU to deepen the collaboration between the two organizations particularly on energy sector resilience in Asia and the Pacific.The new 3-year MOU will merge the comparative advantages of the two organizations as they share knowledge and best practice in energy sector data and analysis, on-the-ground engagement, capacity building, technology, and innovation.