Tripoli, 18 March 2013:
The Libya Herald has received the following letter from the World Bank in response . . .[restrict]to the article we published on 10 March, entitled “World Bank holds off on Tunisian $50m power plant fund; implications for Libya”.
We deeply regret any inaccuracies in any of our reporting and are glad to print the letter below.
Dear Sir/Madame,
In his March 10, 2013 column, “World Bank holds off on Tunisian $50m power plant fund; implications for Libya,” PK Semler misprepresents the views of the World Bank and reports several inaccuracies about World Bank investments in North Africa.
Contrary to the article, the World Bank continues to support efforts to scale up industrial energy efficiency and cogeneration through the Tunisia – Energy Efficiency project, a $40-million line of credit approved in 2009. In a separate operation, the World Bank also supports micro, small and medium sized enterprises through the MENA Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Financing Facility, a $50-million project approved in 2011.
The World Bank is also in the conceptual phase of a possible investment in a concentrated solar power (CSP) plant with the Tunisian state-owned energy company STEG. This is part of a Clean Technology Fund program under which US$750 million are made available for CSP, and which are made available through the World Bank and the African Development Bank.
More information about World Bank operations in the region is available at www.worldbank.org.
Eileen Murray
Resident Representative
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