Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2016 to Question 907183, what support the Government plans to give to improve investment in renewable energy to benefit people in developing countries; and if she will make a statement.

The UK Government is playing a leading role in improving energy access in developing countries through on-grid and decentralised renewable energy. DFID has a range of programmes to increase investment.

For example, programmes in Kenya and Tanzania aim to stimulate investment in community scale, renewable energy mini-grids, increasing electricity access for millions of people, and our Renewable Energy and Adaptation to Climate Technologies challenge fund provides seed finance for renewable energy businesses. CDC, the UK’s Development Finance Institution, has committed US$330m of investment to renewable energy supporting five gigawatts of capacity generation.

Through the Energy Africa campaign the UK Government is also working with a range of African countries and businesses to accelerate the expansion of markets in Africa so that people can buy affordable solar energy systems.