ADB & Samoa sign $100m grant for the Alaoa Multipurpose Dam Project

Apia, SAMOA  –  02 July 2024 — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Samoa today signed a grant agreement totaling $100 million to help fund the Alaoa Multipurpose Dam Project. The grant is sourced from ADB’s Asian Development Fund (ADF) that provides grants to ADB’s poorest and most vulnerable countries.

The Ireland Trust Fund for Building Climate Change and Disaster Resilience in Small Island Developing States will contribute $400,000 and the Government of Samoa will provide more than $11 million to the project.

Through the ADB-supported project, the grant will help fund climate adaptation challenges of flood risk management, sustainable and reliable water supply, and renewable energy security.

Samoa’s Minister of Finance, Lautimuia Uelese Vaai and Regional Director for ADB’s Pacific Subregional Office, Aaron Batten signed the grant agreement at an event in Apia.

“The Government of Samoa are pleased to partner with ADB with funding support from the Ireland Trust Fund for Building Climate Change and Disaster Resilience in Small Island Developing States to support Samoa’s renewable energy, climate adaptation and flood control goals through this project,” said Minister Vaai.

“This transformational project with directly benefit the population in the project areas.”

“ADB is grateful for the partnership with the Government of Samoa in preparing this project. Extensive assessments and technical analyses were undertaken to ensure that the infrastructure design will incorporate robust climate and disaster-resilient features,” said Mr. Batten. “In developing this large and impactful project, the importance of close consultations with the relevant stakeholders was key.”

The Alaoa Multipurpose Dam Project will support the construction of a multipurpose dam to reduce flood risks in Apia, provide a reliable and sustainable source of water supply and provide support on flood risk management systems, capacity building, and biodiversity conservation and management. A run-of-river small hydropower plant will also help to reduce Samoa’s dependency on imported fossil fuels for power generation.

The project has established an innovative biodiversity offset trust fund. This will ensure no net loss of biodiversity to Samoa’s natural environment. The fund will also ensure sustainable financing for biodiversity protection and enhancement beyond project completion.

To ensure the robustness of dam safety, ADB has engaged an independent panel of experts, which has provided an additional robust technical review of the project.

Close consultations with stakeholders, including affected villages, government agencies, and civil society organizations and nongovernment organizations were integral to project preparation. Around 60 extensive consultations and meetings were conducted within the 5-year project preparation period, except during the pandemic.