A World Bank plan for clean energy projects sanctioned by its board two weeks ago would see spending around the globe grow more than 40 percent in the next three years if approved by member countries, a World Bank official said Friday.
– We have a rich menu (stor palet) on which to work in the next three years. We would love to see it in the World Bank steering committees communique, World Bank energy director Jamal Saghir said.
The so-called Clean Energy for Development Investment Framework would see World Bank funding of projects rise beyond 10 billion US dollar (57 milliarder DKR) in the next three years from about 7 billion dollar in the past three years.
The aims are to assist developing countries, specifically in sub-Saharan Africa, reduce their carbon emissions while expanding their generation capabilities as global electricity demand is projected to double in the next five years as well as help them adapt to climate change, he said.
The proposal enjoys strong support at the highest levels of the World Bank, with President Paul Wolfowitz saying on Thursday that clean energy, renewable energy and climate change may well become the multilateral lenders main focus in years to come.
– The opportunities are growing, actually. Our shareholders are more and more interested in the Clean Energy Investment Framework and therefore we have since September last year another report and we will have another report in September, Saghir said.
The Bank has continuesly been critized for funding extraction of fossil fuels like coal and oil.
Kilde: www.worldbank.org
