Energy Access Relief Fund (EARF)

The Energy Access Relief Fund (EARF) aims to help the off-grid energy sector in Africa and Asia to safeguard its progress towards greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions mitigation reduce the economic impact of COVID-19 and rapidly recover from the current crisis by providing access to emergency relief funding. The EARF is a concessionary debt fund intended to provide renewable energy access companies with vital financial liquidity during the crisis induced by the COVID-19 pandemic in the form of short-term loans. EARF seeks to provide much-needed financial liquidity to off-grid renewable energy companies that may otherwise have to reduce their workforces or shut off access to energy for their customers. Clean energy access helps to create new jobs and increases incomes. Project activities include: (1) maintain the emission reductions already achieved by the off-grid energy sector; and (2) position energy access companies to extend emission reductions to other clients beyond the crisis.

The expected outcomes of this project include: (1) continued access by men and women customers to clean affordable energy solutions; (2) increased economic resilience of energy access companies and companies working in the clean cooking sector; and (3) maintained level of GHG emissions reductions.