EDP opens applications to support projects in Africa & Brazil with EUR 1 million

For the first time since it was launched in 2018, the A2E Fund includes a region outside Africa – Brazil – which joins four more African countries. Applications for the new edition are open until 5 May.

ARE Member EDP has opened applications for the 7th edition of the Energy Access Fund (A2E), aimed at supporting projects that promote energy inclusion in disadvantaged communities in Africa and, for the first time, also in Brazil. Applications run until 5 May and are open to organisations from any country that wish to develop initiatives in these regions.

Through the A2E Fund, EDP will select and finance sustainable projects that promote the use of renewable energy in four African countries – Mozambique, Kenya, Malawi and Nigeria – and in Brazil and that contribute to social, environmental and economic development in rural communities in these countries, where high levels of energy exclusion and the use of fossil fuels still persist.

In total, EDP will provide EUR 1 million for projects that support essential sectors, such as education, health, agriculture, water and other productive energy uses, with the aim of promoting a just and inclusive transition in regions where electrification levels are still very low or almost non-existent.

Interested organisations can now apply, followed by an evaluation and pre-selection phase in the following months. The selection of the winning projects will be announced in the last quarter of this year.

EDP aims to support sustainable energy solutions that contribute to a just and inclusive transition in communities in the most isolated and vulnerable regions. Since its launch in 2018, the A2E Fund has received more than 900 applications and funded 47 projects in seven African countries, with a total support equivalent to EUR 4.5 million, contributing directly and indirectly to improving the lives of more than 8 million people. With this initiative, EDP reinforces its strategy of social impact and promotion of a fair energy transition at a global level, especially in developing economies.

In the last edition, out of a total of 195 applications, the selected projects covered several areas, highlighting in common the use of decentralised solar production technologies. The initiatives are mainly focused on improving health care, supporting educational institutions, community development and the supply of drinking water. With the support of the A2E Fund, these initiatives will be able to provide their services using renewable, safe and affordable energy.

Each of the projects selected in the last six editions of the fund can be consulted in the Access to Energy area on the EDP website.

Support for clean energy access projects has been a priority for EDP, within the scope of the global social impact strategy, EDP Y.E.S. – You Empower Society. The regulations and the application form for the 7th edition of the A2E Fund can be found here.