ADB launches $70 billion connectivity plan; Asia power and digital networks to expand by 2035

The Asian Development Bank on Sunday rolled out an ambitious $70 billion regional investment roadmap to strengthen electricity links and digital infrastructure across Asia and the Pacific by 2035, in a push to improve resilience, reduce costs and widen access, PTI reported.The package combines two large programmes –a $50 billion Pan-Asia Power Grid Initiative and a $20 billion Asia-Pacific Digital Highway– aimed at connecting economies more deeply through energy and technology systems.ADB President Masato Kanda said future growth in the region would depend heavily on access to reliable power and digital connectivity.“These two initiatives build the systems Asia and the Pacific need to grow, compete, and connect. 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,” Kanda said at the lender’s 59th annual meeting.The energy programme will support cross-border electricity infrastructure such as transmission corridors, substations, storage facilities and grid modernisation projects.ADB said the initiative targets integration of nearly 20 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity, creation of 22,000 circuit-km of transmission lines and improved electricity access for 200 million people by 2035.It is also projected to generate around 840,000 jobs while reducing emissions from the region’s power sector by 15 per cent.ADB plans to provide close to half the required financing directly, with the balance to come through co-financing and other partnerships.The bank said the initiative builds on existing regional frameworks such as the ASEAN power grid and Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation energy plans, but represents a broader shift toward integrated cross-border power trade.The second programme, the Asia-Pacific Digital Highway, will invest in fibre optic systems, satellite connectivity, data centres, policy reforms and digital skill development.ADB said the plan aims to bring first-time broadband access to 200 million people and improve service quality for another 450 million people by 2035.The programme is also expected to reduce connectivity costs in remote areas by around 40 per cent and create nearly 4 million jobs.Of the $20 billion planned outlay, ADB expects to contribute $15 billion and mobilise the remaining $5 billion through partnerships, including private sector participation.A new AI innovation and development centre will also be established in Seoul with backing from the South Korean government. The facility will promote responsible AI adoption and help train around 3 million people in digital and AI-related skills.Speaking on the Middle East conflict, Kanda said the economic fallout was already being felt sharply across Asia.“Our region is the one of the most severely impacted by the conflict. The first blow landed in energy, but it did not stop there, with higher prices quickly spilling into fuel, freight, food, and fertiliser,” he said.“What we are seeing is not only a security crisis, but a stress test of the global order. It is a reminder that countries remain highly vulnerable to shocks originating in a few strategic corridors. It is exposing the cost of overreliance, and accelerating the shift from pure efficiency toward resilience,” he added.Kanda said ADB had already announced a support package on March 23 to help developing member nations handle the economic effects of the Middle East crisis.Established in 1966, ADB has 69 member economies, including 50 from Asia and the Pacific, and focuses on sustainable and inclusive development.