IFC launches Papua New Guinea solar off-grid lighting project

May 28, 2014 - The International Finance Corp (IFC), the World Bank's lending arm, unveiled on Tuesday an initiative to help solar producers from emerging markets enter Papua New Guinea to assist the country in sorting out its lighting needs.

Through the Lighting Papua New Guinea project, the IFC will provide business to business connections and launch consumer education initiatives to enhance the awareness about off-grid lighting. It will help provide solar off-grid lighting to 500,000 people.

According to an analysis commissioned by the IFC, the solar devices market in Papua New Guinea is set to expand on growing demand, increased prices of other power sources and difficult access to power supplies.

At present, about 90% of Papua New Guinea’s population has no access to power from the national electricity grid. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said in a report in October that Papua New Guinea will account for 75.8% of the total primary energy demand in the Pacific region by 2035. ABD called for the development of more renewable schemes in the region as a way to meet the challenges posed by growing energy demand.

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