Energy & Extractives

Watch the replay of the conversation exploring what it will take to scale up the solutions and investments that will help connect millions more Africans to electricity and transform African economies.

What supportive policy frameworks and financial innovations are available to help deploy the technology more broadly? Live from COP28.

The World Bank’s new framework “Scaling Up to Phase Down” maps out a 6-step virtuous cycle to help these countries overcome critical barriers that are paralyzing their energy transition and catalyze investments.

Global efforts to decarbonize economies are likely to create demand for 3 million tons of minerals and metals – many of which are found in Africa. Thus, the continent has an opportunity to harness natural resource wealth to accelerate energy access and a green transition, drive economic transformation and jobs, and generate more fiscal revenues. Speakers focused on this opportunity and the related challenges facing policy makers.

COP27 brings together SIDS representatives, the donor community, and the private sector. This High-Level Panel will bring together SIDS representatives from the Eastern Caribbean, Maldives and Palau providing an opportunity to discuss collective responsibility for ensuring the health and sustainability of the world’s oceans, and their vital role in future NDCs.

This panel will launch the World Bank Group’s new Hydrogen for Development Partnership (H4D), an initiative to boost the deployment of low-carbon hydrogen in developing countries. 

In this time of strained resources and overlapping crises, how can countries get the financing they need to tackle climate change? The event Investing in People and Planet explored this question in three conversations -- on the potential of carbon markets to mobilize finance; what it will take to bring private sector finance into low-carbon transitions; and the financing needed to achieve net zero.

Achieving universal energy access and a just energy transition in Sub-Saharan Africa are closely intertwined. This session comprises representatives from the World Bank, African governments and development partners to discuss how public and private sector can work together to fast-track energy access in the region leveraging both on- and off-grid renewable energy.

IFC and IRENA will host an Energy Access event which aims to bring together Ministers from across the region and the heads of international organizations to share experiences and discuss the Energy Access agenda and propose a way forward to reach SG7 by 2030 through clean energy solutions.

How to scale up climate financing? Including how governments and their development partners can establish a pipeline of bankable projects that can attract private sector investments.

This panel will discuss the importance of accelerating investment in distributed energy solutions and how innovative risk mitigation solutions can unlock barriers to investment. Insights will be provided by project developers, investors, and governments, who will highlight how political risk solutions could help mitigate some of the key risks while improving the viability of projects and accelerating scale.

This event looked at specific actions that the international community needs to focus on to address both energy and food shocks, using concrete examples of how countries are working on tackling the immediate crises without compromising long-term goals of efficiency, sustainability, and resilience.

This World Bank event brings together a diverse panel of experts to discuss lessons from previous energy price shocks, prospects for energy and metal markets, and policy options to accelerate transition away from fossil fuels while shielding vulnerable groups from damaging disruptions.

This event lays out the complexities of tackling climate and development objectives together amid a geopolitical landscape characterized by conflict, rising prices, and intensifying climate impacts. 

Did you know that despite making up 48% of the global work force – women only account for 22% of the traditional energy sector?

The COVID-19 pandemic caused unprecedented disruptions to global trade and has sparked questions about the future of global value chains. New World Bank research, however, suggests that not only did value chains prove more resilient than earlier feared, but they also helped participating countries rebound more quickly from the crisis. Please join us on March 4 for an engaging discussion about the factors reshaping global value chains, and their implications for trade and development.

Our 9th #OneSouthAsia Conversation on Regional Power Trade: Toward a Green, Clean, and Energy-Secure South Asia will bring together leading voices from the region to explore collaborative pathways for developing sustainable, accessible, and reliable power systems in the region and the challenges it incurs.  The event does not require preregistration

Joins us to discuss how nature loss is an economic and development issue, and how it is linked to climate change, as well as pathways to undertake both nature and climate-smart development in the future, including through expanding our economic toolkit beyond GDP to account for the wealth provided by nature.

As developing countries create their own path, ESMAP, with its donor partners and partner organizations, is supporting them in thinking through their energy transition and energy access roadmaps.

Global leaders, activists, and investors gathered Thursday to discuss the power of infrastructure and the critical role it plays in connecting people to opportunity. Through a series of TED-style talks, speakers shared compelling examples of how regional integration, investment and innovation in infrastructure have worked to deliver better outcomes for communities and countries.  Panelists reflected on the examples shared and discussed priorities for bridging the infrastructure gap, including greater accessibility, more and better data, innovative financing vehicles, and expanded partnerships.

The Investing in Africa Forum (IAF) was established in 2015 as a global platform for multilateral cooperation and promoting opportunities to increase investment in Africa. It is intended to be an annual multi-stakeholder gathering, bringing together representatives of the public and private sectors from China and Africa, international and continental institutions, development partners, and think tanks to deepen policy dialogue, share experiences, and discuss business opportunities to promote and support investment and sustainable development in Africa. It was first initiated by China Development Bank (CDB) with the full endorsement of the Chinese Government and won the strong support of the World Bank Group (WBG) and multiple African countries. September 26, 2017: Session III: ICT and Leapfrogging - Building on the Digital Revolution to Tackle African Challenges (9:00 - 10:40 am Dakar time / 5:00 - 6:40 am DC time) Session IV: Building Skills for the Present and the Future African Workforce - Rethinking Skill Acquisition and Education Service Delivery ( 11:00 am - 12:30 pm Dakar time / 7:00 - 8:30 am DC time) ...

"Rising to the Global Energy Challenge” will be a dynamic session to present key findings of a new World Bank Group report, Regulatory Indicators for Sustainable Energy (RISE). RISE, the first policy scorecard of its kind, assesses the investment climate in 111 countries in three key areas: energy access, energy efficiency and renewable energy. Overall, many countries are embracing the sustainable energy policy agenda, but more needs to be done if we are to reach ambitious global energy and climate goals. After the report is presented, there will be an interactive session looking at what countries can do to create a favorable climate for public and private investment in the renewable energy sector. Rachel Kyte, CEO of Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All), and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All and, Riccardo Puliti, Senior Director and Head of Energy and Extractives at the World Bank, will host the event.

As one of the most dispersed regions in the world, the Pacific faces unique challenges in providing affordable and accessible electricity – with a heavy reliance on diesel-fueled generators in many areas to power homes and businesses. Electricity prices in the region are among the highest in the world, with some countries spending as much as 25% of gross domestic product on fuel imports – leaving household incomes, inflation levels and national finances all highly vulnerable to volatile Asia-Pacific oil markets. To mitigate this exposure, Pacific governments are increasingly turning to alternative and renewable energy sources, including biofuels, wind, solar and hydro systems. In addition to issues of cost, the shift to renewables may help to address the need for energy which is cleaner and easier to generate in remote areas. As eyes turn to Paris ahead of COP21, what actions are being taken in the Pacific region to increase the uptake of renewables? Are new technologies worth investing in? And what role ...

Taking action to scale-up private sector investment in clean energy is crucial to ensuring power for growing economies, securing sustainable livelihoods, and addressing climate change and greenhouse gas emissions. What solutions already exist and what needs to be done to stimulate further private sector investment in renewable energy? A panel of global and regional investors, a renewable energy developer, and a senior government official will discuss how success can be scaled; and explore the specific actions to leverage public energy financing for scaled up private flows. Executive Vice President and CEO of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Jin-Yong Cai will open the discussion in a moderated conversation with Jordan’s Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Najib Fakhoury.

Thousands of gas flares at oil production sites around the globe wastefully burn billions of cubic meters of natural gas annually, causing millions of tons of CO2 to be emitted to the atmosphere. Flaring of gas contributes to climate change and impacts the environment through emission of CO2, black carbon, and other pollutants. It also wastes a valuable energy resource that could be used to advance the sustainable development of producing countries. The World Bank, along with numerous governments, industry, and development partners, is launching a global Initiative aimed at accelerating the elimination of routine flaring at oil production sites around the world.

Over the past six months, declining oil prices have sent shockwaves through the global economy. Declining prices provide relief to government budgets in oil-importing countries, but are challenging for oil-exporting countries – especially those lacking a sufficient buffer. At the same time, low oil prices could slow efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions. This flagship seminar brings together a diverse high level panel to discuss the impact fluctuating oil prices have on economies in the short and medium term. The panelists will also look at the opportunities for energy subsidy reform and how best to deal with price volatility in energy markets.

Developing countries are adapting to low oil prices and an uneven global recovery. At the same time, they are grappling with divergent monetary policies in advanced economies and a possible tightening of conditions. World Bank Chief Economists from the six major developing regions will each provide insights during this lively roundtable.

Economic policies don’t just have economic consequences, they influence politics as well. The definition and regulation of property rights to land in particular are at the heart of state formation and politics all over the world. In this presentation James Robinson will discuss the inter-connections between land and power and how it may affect the impact of countries’ land policy choices and programs supported by development partners, including the World Bank.

A growing population and rising energy demand will mean that 650 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa may still not have access to electricity in 2030, even though the continent has vast, untapped energy resources.  Meanwhile, mining companies—which need a huge amount of power for their operations—are expected to spend up to $3.3 billion to source power by the end of the decade. Is there a way to turn this industry’s substantial need for power into an opportunity to help energy-starved people in the region?  As part of the Investing in African Mining Indaba, this World Bank live event will bring together leaders from international organizations, policy-makers, and the private sector to present and discuss a new report entitled “The Power of the Mine—A Transformative Opportunity for Sub-Saharan Africa,” which discusses the potential of power-mining integration as a win-win for everyone.

Climate change and development are tightly interconnected. In this event, Keywan Riahi, who was involved in creating the development-energy-environment scenarios used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, talks with World Bank Chief Economist for Climate Change Marianne Fay and colleagues about the ways development and greenhouse gas emissions interact and how different development patterns can lead to different environmental outcomes.  Riahi's work has explored ways of eradicating poverty without increasing greenhouse gas emissions, showing that poverty eradication and universal energy access is compatible with the internationally agreed upon target of keeping global warming under 2°C.

What will it take to double the current share of renewables in the global energy mix? Ed Crooks, Energy Editor of the Financial Times, will moderate a discussion on what governments, business and development partners need to do to shift the needle on renewables while balancing environmental and equity issues. Topics will include: How do we scale up renewables faster? What contribution should hydro make and can it be done right?  How is the private sector catalyzing investment in renewables?

Join a discussion on channeling revenues from extractive industries—oil, gas and mining—to end poverty through diversified growth and development. If managed well, revenue from resources such as oil and gas in Tanzania and Mozambique, iron ore in Guinea, copper in Mongolia, gas and gold in Latin America, oil, gas, bauxite and gold in Central Asia, can contribute to sustainable development. When poorly handled they can present long-term challenges for governments, communities and the environment. How can governments capture and channel natural resource revenues into smart investments? How can they unlock this wealth to make it work for the poor? What can we learn from past experience?