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Thu, 9 Sep 2010
MAJURO, Marshall Islands (ADB) ----- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Japan are assisting the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) to boost electricity services to the poor.
A grant of US$1.76 million from the ADB-administered Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR) will be used to deliver extended, sustainable power services to low income households in the Marshall Islands.
A signing ceremony was held in the capital Majuro today for the JFPR grant. Marshall Islands Finance Minister Jack Ading, Marshall Islands Minister of Resources and Development Mattlan Zackhras, Chairman of the Marshalls Energy Company Board of Directors Maynard Alfred, and ADB Director Sungsup Ra signed the Letter of Agreement. Ambassador of the Embassy of Japan in the Marshall Islands Yuji Okada, witnessed the ceremony.
The project will deliver power to targeted unserviced, poor households in Majuro, and will also assist areas in Wotje and Jaluit. Residents will save money on electricity bills and will be able to manage their utility bills more easily through the installation of trial prepayment meters for the Marshalls Energy Company.
The project will introduce income earning opportunities for producers of copra in the outer atolls by trialing a coconut oil-diesel blend as an alternative fuel for the Marshalls Energy Company's power generators.
“Through this project, targeted RMI households will receive electricity for the first time and some copra producers will enjoy the benefits of an additional income flow through the coconut oil-diesel fuel trial,”; said Sungsup Ra, a Director in ADB's Pacific Department.
The RMI Ministry of Resources and Development will be the executing agency for the project, and will also be responsible for implementation.
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