Thursday 5 June 2014

EU’s €95m fund to power two million African homes

The European Commission has chosen 16 renewable energy projects that will help power around two million homes in rural Africa.

It is part of the EU’s last Energy Facility Call for Proposals, which focused specifically on improving access to modern, affordable and sustainable energy services in rural areas.

The projects, which include hydro, wind, biomass and solar installations, will be given funding worth €95 million in total, thanks to the EU’s new rural electrification programme.

Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs said: “These innovative projects are a real step forward in terms of bringing energy to some of the most remote and poor areas in Africa. The benefits of rural electrification are manifold - by connecting people to clean energy, we’ll improve healthcare, education and opportunities to make a living in the area.”

The EU aims to provide more than €3 billion worth of grants during the 2014-2020 financial period to support sustainable energy projects in around 30 countries.