ENERGIZING FINANCE: UNDERSTANDING THE LANDSCAPE 2018

The report finds that while electricity access finance in 20 high-impact countries increased to USD 30.2 billion per year in 2015-16, it remains far below the USD 52 billion needed annually for universal access by 2030. Investment is heavily skewed toward non-residential consumers and grid-connected technologies, including a doubling of fossil fuel investments to USD 8 billion. Clean cooking finance has decreased to USD 30 million per year, a fraction of the USD 4.4 billion required. Geographically, finance is concentrated in a few countries, with Sub-Saharan Africa falling further behind despite having the highest need.

• Overall electrification finance commitments in the 20 high-impact countries rose by 56%, increasing from USD 19.4 billion in 2013-14 to USD 30.2 billion in 2015-16. However, this total is significantly lower than the estimated USD 52 billion per year required to achieve universal electricity access by 2030.
• Electricity finance is predominantly directed toward non-residential consumers, who receive 72% of the funds, while residential consumers receive only 28% (approximately USD 8.6 billion).
• Investment in grid-connected fossil fuel plants doubled between the reporting periods, reaching USD 8 billion per year in 2015-16. Coal plants specifically saw investment grow from USD 2.8 billion in 2013-14 to USD 6.8 billion in 2015-16, with the Philippines, India, and Bangladesh being the top recipients.
• Finance for off-grid solutions (OGS) nearly doubled from USD 210 million to USD 380 million per year between 2013-14 and 2015-16, yet it still represents only 1.3% of total tracked electricity finance.
• There is a severe geographical imbalance in electricity finance; four countries (India, Bangladesh, Philippines, and Kenya) received 86% of annual commitments (USD 26 billion). Conversely, seven high-impact countries—Afghanistan, Angola, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Sudan—saw electricity finance decline by more than 50%.
• Sub-Saharan Africa is falling further behind in energy access finance. While the IEA estimates that approximately USD 50 billion per year in additional electricity investment is needed in the region, it only received 17% (USD 5 billion) of total electricity finance in 2015-16, a decrease of USD 1 billion from 2013-14.
• Finance for clean cooking decreased by 5%, falling from USD 32 million in 2013-14 to USD 30 million in 2015-16. This is far below the USD 4.4 billion annual investment needed by 2030. Most of this funding (92%) comes from international sources, with 72% (USD 22 million) going to Sub-Saharan African countries, primarily Ethiopia and Kenya.
• India and Indonesia serve as case studies demonstrating the impact of domestic public budgets. In India, private domestic investment grew from USD 1.6 billion in 2013-14 to USD 10 billion in 2015-16. In Indonesia, the government spent an annual average of USD 1.8 billion on subsidies to support LPG use between 2015 and 2016.

APA

Sustainable Energy for All (2018). ENERGIZING FINANCE: UNDERSTANDING THE LANDSCAPE 2018. https://www.seforall.org/system/files/gather-content/EF-2018-ES_SEforALL.pdf

Chicago

Sustainable Energy for All. ENERGIZING FINANCE: UNDERSTANDING THE LANDSCAPE 2018. 2018. https://www.seforall.org/system/files/gather-content/EF-2018-ES_SEforALL.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Sustainable Energy for All |title=ENERGIZING FINANCE: UNDERSTANDING THE LANDSCAPE 2018 |date=2018 |url=https://www.seforall.org/system/files/gather-content/EF-2018-ES_SEforALL.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sustainableenergyforall2018energizing, author = {{Sustainable Energy for All}}, title = {{ENERGIZING FINANCE: UNDERSTANDING THE LANDSCAPE 2018}}, institution = {Sustainable Energy for All}, year = {2018}, url = {https://www.seforall.org/system/files/gather-content/EF-2018-ES_SEforALL.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }