Over 84,000 people across Vanuatu’s remote off-grid communities will soon benefit from cleaner energy, safer water, better healthcare and education, thanks to the country’s first two REnew Pacific projects, announced today.
REnew Pacific is the Australian Government’s new $75 million investment in off-grid renewable energy for rural and remote communities across the Pacific and Timor-Leste, including Vanuatu.
Vanuatu’s Minister for Climate Change, Adaptation, Geohazards, Meteorology & Energy, the Hon. Ralph Regenvanu and Australia’s High Commissioner to Vanuatu H.E. Max Willis officially launched REnew Pacific’s first project in Betervat, Malekula at a special event with local leaders and the community.
The two-year project, led by the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), will bring solar-powered water pumping systems to eight rural communities across Vanuatu’s Santo, Paama, Tanna and Malekula islands, improving water security and sanitation for over 4,700 people. It will also equip 24 health centres and schools with solar PV systems and battery storage, providing reliable, clean and affordable energy. Find out more here.
An additional REnew Pacific project will benefit around 80,000 people in Vanuatu’s most remote communities, delivering reliable 24/7 energy to healthcare services for the first time.
Respond Global, through its unique HELPR-1 vessel, will transport and install 20 new off-grid solar power systems and upgrade 20 additional health facilities across all Vanuatu’s six provinces. This project will improve local healthcare delivery and supply essential medical equipment and also repair and upgrade existing off-grid systems in schools, clinics and community buildings, removing e-waste and training local community members to support ongoing maintenance. Find out more here.
Both projects are supported by Vanuatu’s National Green Energy Fund (NGEF) and the Australian Government.
REnew Pacific is part of the Pacific Climate Infrastructure Financing Partnership (PCIFP), a $350 million initiative focused on climate infrastructure in the region, delivered by the Australian Government’s Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP).
Over the next five years, REnew Pacific will fund locally-led projects that bring clean, reliable energy to remote and rural off-grid Pacific communities, improving services like lighting, clean water, healthcare, education, agriculture and more. REnew Pacific now is inviting proposals for new off-grid renewable energy projects across the Pacific and Timor-Leste, including Vanuatu.
For more information and apply today!
