Fueling development: the role of LPG in poverty reduction and growth

Though most global energy analysis focusing on developing countries departs from the identification of two distinct energy challenges – inadequate supplies of electricity and the services that electricity provides and a further challenge of heavy reliance on traditional biomass fuels for heating and cooking services at the household and business level – most development assistance has focused on low-load electricity solutions in rural areas in recent years. While there is little evidence that low-load electricity directly contributes to poverty reduction, there is ample evidence that improved, affordable and safe fuels for use in households and small industry not only improve human health and the situation of women, but directly contribute to improved living conditions when linked to income-generating activities. Much greater efforts are needed to improve the efficiency of traditional biomass use. However, widely available liquefied petroleum gases (LPG) such as propane and butane can be viable alternatives when issues of affordability, distribution, safety and equipment availability are addressed. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is working with the World LP Gas Association on the LP Gas Rural Energy Challenge to explore ways of overcoming known bottlenecks to expanded LPG distribution and use in developing countries. The objective of the partnership is to increase the use of LPG as a means to address multiple sustainable development challenges and to support the agreements of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) as expressed in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI).