IDB grants $35M for Haiti Electricity

By: - July 26th, 2011

Above: 70 percent of Haitians have no electricity (UN Photo: Marco Dormino)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The Inter-American Development Bank announced it would be giving Haiti a $35 million grant to support the country’s electricity sector and the management of its state power company, Electricite d’Haiti (EDH).

According to the IDB, the grant is one of three operations the bank will make over the next three years in Haiti, where 70 percent of the population has no electricity.

Even in those areas with coverage, service averages 10 hours a day but is plagued by outages, and less than one-third of the country’s 500-megawatt demand can be generated.

Since last year’s earthquake, the IDB has approved more than $340 million in new grants, and disbursed $255 million for recovery efforts and investment in Haiti.

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