Global Courant
JAKARTA – The World Bank said on Tuesday it has approved a US$1.14 billion (S$1.54 billion) project to expand access to cleaner electricity in Indonesia, for which it will provide US$500 million in financial support , and US$600 million for a project to improve infant nutrition.
The electricity project will connect about 2 million people to the power grid in eastern Indonesia, increase investment in solar energy and help Indonesia’s state-owned Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) improve its ability to manage the energy transition, the World Bank said in a statement. .
It is co-funded by the World Bank, the private sector and PLN and includes funding from Canada Clean Energy and Forest Climate Facility and the Clean Technology Fund.
The project “will mobilize private sector finance for Indonesia’s energy transition and help communities adapt to climate change,” Manuela V. Ferro, World Bank vice president for East Asia and the Pacific, said in a statement. .
Indonesia, which uses coal for most of its electricity, aims to cut emissions by 32 percent by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2060.
Separately, the World Bank said it had approved $600 million in funding for Indonesia’s efforts to tackle child stunting, a form of malnutrition.
According to a government study published in January, about 21 percent of Indonesian children under the age of five will have stunted growth by 2022, about 4.5 million children.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has said the country aims to reduce the rate to 14 percent by 2024. REUTERS
