ADB assists climate resilience in Tonga [1]
Thursday, June 25, 2015 - 23:16
The Asian Development Bank is supporting the Tongan Government's efforts to build up the country’s resilience to natural disasters while assisting government's goal of providing half of the electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020.
A new ADB Pacific Energy Update 2015 report stated that its investment program for Tonga includes measures to promote environmental sustainability, disaster risk management and climate change adaptation.
“For example, the ADB assisted Cyclone Ian Recovery Project, is helping support government efforts to upgrade and climate proof the electricity grid network and school buildings on the northeast island of Ha’apai”, said Woo Yul-Lee, Energy Specialist in ADB’s Pacific Department.
The outer island renewable energy project, supported by ADB and co-financed by the Government of Australia is helping to provide solar power generated electricity to customers on nine outer islands of the country. This is aiding the government’s drive to reduce the heavy reliance on imported fossil fuels.
It also stresses that 89 percent of the population of 102,000 receives electricity generated mainly from diesel fuel.
The Pacific Energy Update 2015 is a country by country summary of existing ADB supported operations in the Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Nauru, PNG, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu as well as ADB’s regional initiatives.