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ADB Pledges $70 Billion for Power Grids, Digital Connectivity in Asia-Pacific

The Asian Development Bank has committed up to $70 billion by 2035 for two major initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region. The Pan-Asia Power Grid Initiative aims to connect national power systems for cross-border renewable energy trade. The Asia-Pacific Digital Highway will finance digital corridors and AI-ready economies. ADB also revised its 2026 growth outlook for developing Asia downward to 4.7% due to deepening economic crisis.

Key Points: ADB Pledges $70B for Asia-Pacific Power, Digital Connectivity

  • ADB pledges $70B by 2035 for energy and digital initiatives
  • Pan-Asia Power Grid Initiative to connect renewable energy across borders
  • Asia-Pacific Digital Highway to close digital infrastructure gap
  • ADB slashes 2026 growth outlook for developing Asia to 4.7%
2 min read

ADB pledges 70 billion USD to boost energy, digital connectivity in Asia-Pacific

ADB commits $70 billion by 2035 to integrate power grids and expand broadband access across Asia-Pacific, announced at its 59th annual meeting in Samarkand.

"Energy and digital access will define the region's future - Masato Kanda"

Samarkand, May 4

The Asian Development Bank said it will commit up to 70 billion USD by 2035 to two initiatives to integrate power grids, expand cross-border electricity trade, and strengthen broadband access across the Asia-Pacific region.

ADB President Masato Kanda launched the Pan-Asia Power Grid Initiative and the Asia-Pacific Digital Highway at the bank's 59th annual meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan's second-largest city, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Energy and digital access will define the region's future," said Kanda, adding that by "linking power grids and digital networks across borders, we can lower costs, expand opportunity, and bring reliable power and digital access to hundreds of millions of people."

According to Kanda, the Pan-Asia Power Grid Initiative seeks to connect national and subregional power systems to enable the cross-border flow of renewable energy. The Asia-Pacific Digital Highway aims to close the digital infrastructure gap and help the region harness artificial intelligence-driven growth.

Under the Pan-Asia Power Grid Initiative, the ADB aims to mobilize $50 billion by 2035 for cross-border power infrastructure, focusing on transmission lines, substations, storage, and grid digitalization.

Under the Asia-Pacific Digital Highway, the ADB will mobilise $20 billion to finance digital corridors, data infrastructure, and AI-ready economies.

The ADB is a leading multilateral development bank supporting inclusive, resilient, and sustainable growth across Asia and the Pacific. Founded in 1966, it has 69 members -- 50 from the region.

Earlier on Wednesday, the ADB slashed its GDP growth outlook for developing Asia and the Pacific to 4.7 per cent in 2026 from the previous 5.1 per cent forecast.

Inflation for 2026 is projected to accelerate to 5.2 per cent in 2026 from 3 per cent in 2025, before easing to 4.1 per cent in 2027.

"Our revised outlook is a significant downward revision for growth and a sharp increase in inflation following a special update to reflect the deepening crisis," Kanda said at the time.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

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Priya S
Good initiative for digital connectivity! India's Digital Public Infrastructure is already a model for the world, so this could be a great opportunity for us to share our UPI and Aadhaar experience with other Asia-Pacific nations. But 20 billion for digital highways seems small compared to the power grid investment. Let's hope it's enough for last-mile broadband in rural areas.
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Michael C
Interesting to see the ADB focusing on cross-border energy trade. This could be a game-changer for energy security in South Asia, especially with India's growing power needs. However, the timing is curious given the ADB just revised growth forecasts downward. Is this stimulus or just planned investment?
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Aman W
The ADB's revised growth forecast is worrying - 4.7% for 2026 is quite low for developing Asia. Inflation projected at 5.2% in 2026 will hurt the common man. These infrastructure projects might help in the long run but what about immediate relief? The government needs to focus on food and fuel prices first. 😞
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Sarah B
As someone working in the Indian renewable energy sector, this is promising. The Pan-Asia Power Grid could help stabilize intermittent solar and wind energy across time zones. But I'm cautious about the governance of cross-border projects - bilateral tensions could derail these plans. Look at what happened with the India-Bangladesh power agreement recently.
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Kavya N
Honestly, I'm skeptical. The ADB talks about inclusive growth but their projects often come with strings attached. And 70 billion sounds huge but spread over 10 years across multiple countries, it's not that much per country. India alone would need much more for its own green

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