The European Commissioner for Development, Mr Andris Piebalgs, signed a contribution agreement today with the Asian Development Bank’s Regional Director of its South Pacific Sub-regional Office, Robert Jauncey.
The agreement is for the establishment of a new hydropower plant in Fulusuo, Upolu. An additional four new hydropower plants will be built in Upolu and Savai’i, while three hydropower plants in Upolu which were severely damaged by Cyclone Evan last year, will be rehabilitated through the project. This will ensure that residents of these islands benefit from increased, more reliable access to sustainable energy services through the use of renewable energy.
The overall contribution of the European Union to the project is €4.6 million, out of a total budget of over €22 million secured through expected co-financing from the ADB and the Government of Samoa.
Expressing satisfaction for the for the conclusion of the agreement, Commissioner Pielbags said it: “represents a concrete deliverable under the Joint Declaration on Reinforced Dialogue on Sustainable Energy Investments in the Pacific Region”; which he and the Vice-President of the Asian Development Bank, Mr Stephen Groff, signed at the Pacific Energy Summit, in March 2014.
The project will kick-off following formal approval by the Asian Development Bank’s Board of Directors.
For more information contact: Delegation of the European Union for the Pacific.
Tel: +679 331-3633.
Email: delegation-fiji-media@eeas.europa.eu
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