Page 9 - AsiaElec Week 22 2022

AsiaElec ACCESS TO POWER AsiaElec

Poorer countries risk being left

behind over power access

ASIA THE coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is IRENA said.
holding back the global movement towards
universal energy access, with 733mn people still Africa and Asia
without access to power at home in 2022. Africa now has 568mn people without electric-
The figure is set to fall to only 670mn people ity access, with sub-Saharan Africa’s share of
by 2030, 10mn more than previously forecast in the global population without electricity hav-
2021, according to research by the International ing jumped to 77% in 2020 from 71% in 2018,
Renewables Energy Agency (IRENA), the UN whereas most other regions saw declines in their
and the International Energy Agency (IAE). share of the access deficits.
The economic impact of the pandemic has While 70mn people globally gained access to
also resulted in 90mn people in Africa and Asia clean cooking fuels and technologies, this pro-
not being able to afford the electricity supplies gress was not enough to keep pace with popula-
they already have. tion growth, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
The share of the world’s population with The report highlighted that many countries
access to electricity rose from 83% in 2010 to are being left behind as progress towards renew-
91% in 2020, increasing the number of people ables is made in wealthier states.
with access by 1.3bn. Furthermore, the number The report said that renewable energy was the
without access declined from 1.2bn people in only energy source to grow during the pandemic.
2010 to 733mn in 2020. However, these positive global and regional
However, this rate of decline is now slowing trends in renewable energy have left behind
because of the pandemic, and IRENA warned many countries most in need of electricity.
that the international community and policy- This was aggravated by a decrease in inter-
makers must maintain investment focus on national financial flows for the second year in
poorer countries in order to safeguard the gains a row, falling to $10.9bn in 2019, the latest year
already made towards meeting SDG 7. that financial data are available.
IRENA said in its 2022 edition of Track- Flows remain heavily concentrated geo-
ing SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report that a graphically, with 24 countries having received
wide range of impacts caused by the pandemic, 80% of all commitments.
including lockdowns, disruptions to global Nigeria, Guinea, and India were the top
supply chains and diversion of fiscal resources receiving countries in 2019, attracting 25%
to keep food and fuel prices affordable, have of commitments. Least-developed countries
affected the pace of progress toward the UN Sus- received 25.2% of commitments in 2019, but this
tainable Development Goal (SDG 7) of ensur- increase from 21% in 2018 hides a 9% decrease
ing access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and in amount from $3bn to $2.7bn.
modern energy by 2030. Sub-Saharan Africa attracted the largest
Crucially, the move towards SDG 7 has been flows across regions in 2019 – amounting to
impeded in the world’s poorest countries in $4bn, slightly lower than in 2018. The region
Africa and Asia. Nearly 90mn people in Asia alone received 37% of all developing countries’
and Africa who had previously gained access to commitments. Considering the entire decade of
electricity can no longer afford to pay for their 2010-19, it received a total of $39.6bn, also the
basic energy needs. largest total among other regions.
IRENA director-general Francesco La Cam- Commitments more than doubled between
era said: “International public financing for 2010 and 2019, due to the region’s hydropower
renewable energy needs to accelerate, especially projects (which attracted big investors, espe-
in the poorest, most vulnerable countries. We cially China) and notable commitments to solar
have failed to support those most in need. With energy (which averaged $612mn in 2010-19 but
only eight years left to achieve universal access to are no longer on the rise.
affordable and sustainable energy, we need rad- Commitments received by Central and
ical actions to accelerate the increase of interna- Southern Asia decreased by 24.5% (from $2.8bn
tional public financial flows and distribute them in 2018 to $2.1bn in 2019), mostly due to a halv-
in a more equitable manner.” ing of commitments toward solar energy (from
The impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on $1.0bn to $511mn). Hydropower held the larg-
energy have been compounded in the last few est share of commitments across the decade, at
months by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, $11.3bn, owing largely to the $6.5bn directed to
which has led to uncertainty in global oil and projects in Pakistan.™
gas markets and has sent energy prices soaring,

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