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ADB launches $50 billion plan to develop Asia’s power grids
- 7 hours ago (2026-05-04)
- David Flin
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has announced up to $50 billion for new energy initiatives by 2035 across Asia, aiming to connect power grids and expand cross-border electricity trade.
Eurelectric Power Summit 2026
Masato Kanda, President of the ADB, said: “By linking power grids across borders, we can lower costs, expand opportunity, and bring reliable power to hundreds of millions of people.”
Under the Pan-Asia Power Grid Initiative, ADB will work with governments, utilities, the private sector, and development partners to provide $50 billion by 2035 for cross-border power infrastructure that can unlock renewable energy at scale. The initiative will focus on transmission and grid integration, including cross-border lines, substations, storage, and grid digitalisation. It will also support power generation linked to electricity trade, including renewable energy export projects, regional renewable hubs, and hybrid generation storage facilities.
ADB aims to integrate about 20 GW of renewable energy across borders by 2035, connect 22 000 circuit km of transmission lines, improve energy access for 200 million people, and cut regional power sector emissions by 15 per cent.
ADB expects to finance about half of the $50 billion initiative from its own resources and raise the rest through co-financing, including from the private sector.