Besides this Norwegian support, ADB will help with USD 25-30M Energy+ Cooperation Partnership To support the country’s efforts towards increasing access to sustainable energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Norway has resolved to contribute Norwegian Kroner 100M (USD 17M) for the next five years. This comes after the country, probably the first in Asia to become a partner of Energy+ Cooperation Partnership by signing a framework with the Norwegian government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) yesterday. The framework was signed on the sidelines of the ongoing Delhi Sustainable Development Summit. ADB deputy country director with the India Resident Mission, Narhari Rao said the bank and the Norwegian government had been working since 2011 to support access to energy in the region. “Energy+ supports efforts to universal access to sustainable energy in its partner countries,” he said at the signing. “ADB will help leverage additional remaining financing to prepare a program of USD 25-30M for the energy sector in Bhutan.” The process was the outcome of the pledge that Norwegian minister of International Development had made to Prime Minster Jigmi Y Thinley in October last year. The framework describes activities and required procedures to implement the cooperation in line with Energy+ approach from 2013-2017. The cooperation will also support the implementation of Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative in Bhutan. Norway’s state secretary Arvinn Gadgil said this was probably the partnership, which has the most potential to succeed. “Bhutan has already made incredible strides towards universal access to energy; 80 percent of the population does have access to energy,” he said, following the signing. “Now the work begins.” That Bhutan experienced very less snow this year, making hydropower insecure, Arvinn Gadgil said highlighted the necessity to be more flexible for energy supply. The cooperation will be implemented in three phases. Agriculture minister Lyonpo Dr Pema Gyamtsho said the agreement would energise the nation and that Bhutan was grateful to Norway and ADB for choosing it as one of its four partners. Lyonpo said Norway and ADB were Bhutan’s key partners in its journey towards achieving energy security and that Norway was closely involved in the development of energy master plan for Bhutan. “We’re committed to providing sustainable and clean energy to all our people and 80 percent of our population have some degree of access to clean energy,” Lyonpo said. “With this agreement, it opens a whole new avenue for possibilities of providing a mix of energy supply from renewable resources.”