Vanuatu, consisting of over 80 individual islands, is situated in Oceania. The nation’s exposure to natural hazards, extensive low-lying coastal zone, development context, and precarious natural resource base mean it is amongst the most vulnerable nations to climate change in the world. Vanuatu is vulnerable to the impact of floods, tropical cyclones, and storm surges, which can strike in combination or isolation. Cyclones bring coastal and flash flooding even when passing within the vicinity of the island.
INVESTING IN VANUATU
CIF’s investment in Vanuatu is through its Scaling up Renewable Energy Program (SREP). Vanuatu's $14-million SREP investment plan is targeted at implementing renewable energy interventions to overcome barriers to rural electrification. Challenges include unclear land ownership, regulatory restrictions, high upfront capital costs, and constraints to equipment maintenance and fee collection at remote locations.
This investment plan, targeting 80 percent of the approximately 22,000 dispersed off-grid customers in Vanuatu, is expected to increase access from an estimated 27 percent to 90 percent. To meet the growing energy demand on the islands of Malekula or Espiritu Santo, small hydropower projects are expected to initially meet 100 percent of the baseload demand and relieve the islands' reliance on imported diesel.
