Wednesday 25 June 2014

$100m to improve energy access in rural Bangladesh

The World Bank is providing a $600 million (£353.5m) loan to fund a project that aims to improve access to electricity in the rural areas of Bangladesh.

The credit for the Rural Electricity Transmission and Distribution Project (T&D) will support the construction of new transmission and distribution networks and substations as well as the upgrading of existing lines in the eastern part of the country.

Only 42% of the rural population currently have access to electricity in Bangladesh, leaving around 13 million households without power.

Christine E. Kimes, Acting Head at World Bank Bangladesh said: “By improving efficiency of the system so that more electricity can reach rural areas, the project will contribute towards increasing economic activity and reducing poverty in the rural areas of Bangladesh.”