PROMOTING OUTER ISLAND DEVELOPMENT THROUGH THE INTEGRATED ENERGY ROADMAP (POIDIER) PROJECT
Promoting Outer Islands Development Through the Integrated Energy Roadmap (POIDIER) project is a climate mitigation project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) trust fund. The project is implemented by UNDP in partnership with the Government of Kiribati.
The main objective is to enhance the outer island development through the achievement of renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE) targets of Kiribati as stated in the Kiribati Integrated Energy Roadmap (KIER). The project was launched in January 2021 and is anticipated to complete in 2024.
POIDIER has 4 major components to focus on through its 4 years plan:
- Capacity building for low carbon outer island development
- Improvement of Energy Policy, Institutional framework, and planning of low carbon outer island development
- Financial support mechanism Development for low carbon development initiatives in outer islands
- Low carbon (RE and EE) Technologies Applications for Outer island development.
POIDIER will adopt a multi-pronged approach to address the challenges to RE and EE dissemination in the outer islands and to link such dissemination to addressing the broader challenge of outer island economic development. It will address capacity gaps via training and outreach, facilitates adoption and enforcement of needed policies, promotes the financing of outer island RE and EE, addresses cost and technical challenges, and brings these together via demonstrations. It will put its greatest emphasis on the productive use of RE and EE and expands the emphasis of outer island energy development from institutional systems alone to include community systems that can support revenue-generating activity, particularly related to coconuts, fish, and agricultural production aiming to make the outer island “the farm” of the nation.
The demo PV mini-grid systems will be installed on the outer islands/rural areas and it will be the first to have a revenue and billing system to facilitate financial sustainability. High-quality solar grid systems at globally competitive costs will be installed and distributed to the outer islands.
POIDIER also relates its mission to support the Kiribati Development Plan (KDP) – (2016-2019) to advance inclusive economic development in the following areas:
- Goal 1: Human resource development: POIDIER will implement capacity building programs on solar home systems and solar grid systems for island councils, technical personnel, and outer island residents including interested solar mamas and solar papa in the sizing, installation, and repair of SHSs for sustainability.
- Goal 2: Economic Growth: POIDIER will provide a reliable and affordable energy source to support local business and local farm productivity/modern agriculture advancing their capabilities, competitiveness, and innovation.
- Goal 3: Health: POIDIER will provide health benefits through providing and supporting electrical facilities for outer island clinics, reducing occupational health risk, household and general ambient from fossil fuel pollution.
- Goal 6: Infrastructure: The solar grid system will be installed in the rural areas to provide electricity to small businesses, schools, clinics, villages, island councils, agriculture development, etc.
For further information and updates on the project activities and progress. Please visit POIDIER Facebook Page here.
