- ADB plans to mobilise $70 billion for energy and digital infrastructure by 2035, strengthening regional connectivity across Asia and the Pacific.
- The Pan-Asia Power Grid Initiative will expand cross-border renewable energy trade, integrate 20 GW of clean power, and improve energy access for 200 million people.
Asian Development Bank (ADB) plans to support $70 billion in new energy and digital infrastructure programmes by 2035 to strengthen regional integration across Asia and the Pacific. The initiative will focus on interconnecting power grids, expanding cross-border electricity trade, and improving broadband access throughout the region.
Meanwhile, ADB said the Pan-Asia Power Grid Initiative will connect national and subregional electricity systems, allowing renewable energy to flow across borders. At the same time, the Asia-Pacific Digital Highway will help close digital infrastructure gaps and support AI-driven economic growth.
Under the Pan-Asia Power Grid Initiative, ADB will work with governments, utilities, private-sector players, and development partners to mobilise $50 billion for cross-border power infrastructure. The programme will prioritise transmission systems, substations, energy storage, and grid digitalisation.
The initiative will also support renewable energy export projects, regional clean energy hubs, and hybrid generation-storage facilities linked to electricity trade. Through these investments, ADB aims to integrate about 20 gigawatts of cross-border renewable energy capacity by 2035.
In addition, the programme targets the construction of 22,000 circuit-kilometres of transmission lines, improved electricity access for 200 million people, and a 15% reduction in regional power-sector emissions.
ADB described the initiative as a major shift from bilateral energy connections toward a broader regional electricity trading model capable of accelerating renewable energy deployment at scale.