Rural Energy

The key development objective of the Learning and Innovation Loan is to support the Government in implementing its strategy for increasing access to electricity in rural and peri-urban and in promoting the adoption of Renewable Energy Technologies (RET). The project’s global environment objective is to remove barriers to application, implementation and dissemination of RET. Removal of barriers will make it attractive for the private sector to start investing in decentralized rural electrification schemes, and operate these on a fully commercial basis. Specifically, the Project would (i) address access to finance problems related to increased initial transaction costs and risks of RET; (ii) reduce greenhouse gas (GHC) emissions in the order of 200,000 tons of carbon dioxide through the substitution of RET for candles, kerosene for lighting and other applications. About 80,000 tons would be abated by investments directly sponsored by the proposed intervention. Abatement of another 120,000 tons is to be expected by replication in the target market segment, and (iii) reduce initial high transaction costs that result from lack of market knowledge, small market size, and dispersed consumer base. It is expected that by completion, the Project would have demonstrated RET to be viable business opportunity in rural Guinea.