The World Bank has signed Monday a formal agreement with the Government of Kiribati to deliver reliable solar energy to the people of the Pacific island nation. The project will be jointly funded by the Australian Government and the Global Environment Facility.
The signing ceremony took place at the Pacific Energy Summit in Auckland and was attended byPresident of Kiribati Anote Tong and World Bank Country Director for the Pacific Islands Franz Drees-Gross .
Through AusAID Australia will provide A$3.2 million for the project through the Pacific Region Infrastructure Facility (PRIF), in collaboration with US$1 million from the Global Environment Fund.
“Kiribati faces big challenges – it is remote, it is at risk from the effects of climate change, and it is vulnerable to economic shocks,” said President Anote Tong of Kiribati .
“Shifting Kiribati’s focus to reliable solar energy will provide a more secure, more sustainable power source for the country’s people .”
The project will install solar panels in the capital of South Tarawa. Training will also be provided to the Kiribati Public Utilities Board to operate and maintain solar power stations.
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