BANGKOK – On September 8, President Barack Obama announced the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) new initiative to help countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region attract greater and more diverse sources of investment for renewable energy sources.

Highlighted at last week’s ASEAN summit as a new commitment under President Obama's US-ASEAN Connect strategy, the USAID Clean Power Asia project is a multi-million dollar effort over five years to increase the supply of grid-connected renewable energy in ASEAN.

"This project will help advance clean energy in ASEAN by supporting a rapid transition to renewable energy," said Beth Paige, director of the USAID Regional Development Mission for Asia. "In this project, we will work with Southeast Asian countries and ASEAN institutions to integrate renewables into their energy planning."

The project will initially focus on the Lower Mekong countries of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam, and will also have a series of regional activities involving ASEAN.

USAID Clean Power Asia will focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions by increasing the share of power produced from renewable resources, and thereby reducing reliance on traditional fossil fuel sources for power.  It is expected that the project will help mobilize $750 million of new investment in renewable energy systems, at least 500 MW of new clean energy generating capacity and result in reductions of at least three million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

USAID Clean Power Asia will also help countries establish and refine national renewable energy targets that support their commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement, and will assist in integrating these targets into their national power development plans.

USAID will work with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the U.S. Department of State and bilateral USAID missions in the region, and help build relationships with key counterparts in each country including departments of energy, regulatory commissions, and developers, generators and distributors of power in each country. USAID Clean Power Asia is implemented by Abt Associates in association with a number of regional and international organizations.

Please click here to view the USAID Clean Power Asia fact sheet.