Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP)

Type of Recipient
Public entity at the national level
Public entity at the sub-national level
Public entity at the regional level
Region
East Asia and Pacific
Europe and Central Asia
Middle East and North Africa
South Asia
Sub-Saharan Africa
Fund Size

$ 811.9 million

Co-financing Requirement
No
Sectors and Themes
Energy
Climate Objective
Mitigation
Type of Support Provider
Multilateral
Trustee or Administrator
World Bank
Contact Information

ESMAP is a think tank whose world-class experts gather and analyze data on energy access, cooking practices, renewable energy expansion, and end-use decarbonization solutions in hard-to-abate sectors including energy efficiency practices. Drawing from multiple sources, their teams develop global and country-specific data sets whose comprehensive rigor has gained the confidence of partners including governments, private investors, utility managers, and policymakers, among others.

ESMAP unit has within it an Energy Climate Finance Team that works in close collaboration with Climate Investment Funds, the Global Environment Facility, the Canada Facility, the Green Climate Fund, and others. ESMAP teams bring technical experience in structuring innovative delivery solutions that blend World Bank lending and concessional lending from the Bank’s International Development Association with concessional climate finance from global, as well as bilateral providers. In addition, ESMAP programs also secure private capital and grant financing, including contributions from philanthropic foundations.

ESMAP leverages its knowledge and proximity to project design and finance to be a catalyst, igniting transformation. ESMAP teams convene experts who share their experience with energy sector decision-makers in developing countries. This encourages country policy and planning officials to integrate new technologies and apply innovative policy incentives and regulations. ESMAP enables energy leaders from one country or region to visit their counterparts in another area, learning—and often adopting—new approaches, tools, and practices. Our global network of energy insiders, built over 40 years and reinforced by its integration into World Bank teams in over 100 countries, makes ESMAP a supercharged expert group with force-multiplier impact. With its donors and clients shaping the context, ESMAP has fostered integrated multi-country power pools, helped introduce energy storage technologies, and scaled up solar, onshore, and offshore wind implementation, as well as off-grid and mini grid solar use. It has jump-started countries’ plans to reform costly subsidies and effect transitions away from coal. There is magic and power in action, and ESMAP catalyzes that action.

ESMAP’s sustained presence and track record make it a trusted leader. Its guidance is sought by energy sector practitioners and decision-makers at all levels, from those installing wind, solar farms, and mini grids, to energy ministers at the UN High-Level Dialogue on Energy. By its unique attributes—knowledge, access to finance, and catalytic role—ESMAP is at the hub of the global conversation on energy solutions. It has fostered long-term engagements with energy leaders in multiple countries. These relationships allow ESMAP to build partnerships among governments, utilities, investors—both institutional and private—and experts in energy management and technology. ESMAP is continually building new networks, sustained by the flow of expertise and financing spread across them. Its direct connection to World Bank operations ensures that its experience-driven advice is widely disseminated. Its adherence to World Bank Group protocols and standards delivers disciplined reporting and accountability, inspiring confidence among clients, donors, and investors that agreements will be met.

ESMAP’s robust analytical work, driven by data and analysis, along with its pilot-test projects, mitigate risk and demonstrate that scaled-up investment is not only possible, but highly attractive.

Support Provider

Major government donors include Australia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Japan, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom...

Purpose of Support
Strengthening enabling environments and stakeholder capacity
Funding Type
Grants
Monitoring and Reporting Procedures

ESMAP M&E system includes bi-annually monitoring reports, justifications for extension of grant closing date,outputs and outcomes indicators, grant completion report.

Organizational and Decision Making Structure

ESMAP is governed by a Consultative Group (CG) comprising representatives from contributing donors and chaired by the Senior Director of the World Bank's Energy and Extractives Practice Group. The CG meets annually to review ESMAP's strategic direction, achievements, use of resources and funding requirements.

The World Bank's Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) also reviews and assesses the performance of all World Bank Global Trust-Funded Programs.  This includes an evaluation of ESMAP against its business plans, investment frameworks, and the effectiveness and efficiency of the deployment of trust fund resources. In addition, IEG assesses the World Bank's management and accountability for the use of trust fund resources and the impact of trust funds on the World Bank's development role. Read the most recent IEG evaluation

ESMAP's latest Independent External Evaluation completed in March 2020 is a requirement by the World Bank to review the performance of programs reaching the end of their business plans. On this occasion, the evaluation covers the 2017-2020 Business Plan.  A Briefing Note was also prepared aiming at synthetizing the contents of the full evaluation.  As customary, following the evaluation's recommendations, ESMAP Management prepared a response.

The previous Independent External Evaluation covered a four-year period from July 2011 to June 2015.  Two years of the previous (2008-2013) and the subsequent (2014-2016) ESMAP business plans, and one year of the previous ASTAE business plan and three years of the ASTAE business plan (2012-2016).  With both these business plans having reached their end date, the World Bank Group (WBG) required an external evaluator to review the performance of ESMAP and ASTAE against their respective business plans and investment frameworks. As a follow up to the evaluation's recommendations, the ESMAP Management Team prepared a response.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility is generally linked to these countries' status as defined by World Bank GNI per capita data

Eligible Countries

ODA eligible countries may access funding. These consist of all low and middle income countries based on gross national income (GNI) per capita as published by the World Bank.

Information on how to

Access funding by referencing the World Bank Group's country financing and policy dialogue in the energy sector. Find information regarding the WBG energy sector here. Reference ongoing activitieshere.