AFD Group brings together three major emerging economies to accelerate the energy transition

Under the aegis of the Global Gateway – EU’s offer to build sustainable and high quality connections around the world - this international meeting event is supported by the Indonesia Energy Transition Facility (IETF), a programme funded by the EU and AFD. Involving the full AFD Group, it brought together energy-sector operators and technical experts for a week of strategic dialogue and exchanges with leading French energy stakeholders.

AFD, a platform for sharing experiences to accelerate the energy transition

Faced with rapidly growing electricity demand, the need to decarbonize energy systems and the ongoing transformation of major public utilities, AFD Group aimed to create a peer-to-peer space for sharing experiences focused on the common challenges faced by the three countries.

With contributions from the Directorate General of the Treasury, the Directorate General for Energy and Climate (DGEC), the International Energy Agency (IEA), RTE, EDF and ENGIE, the week of exchanges offered a comprehensive overview of French expertise in energy planning, financing, innovation and electricity system governance.

Concrete progress with Indonesia, Mexico and South Africa

At the opening of this strategic week, AFD announced several major developments with its three partner countries:

• With Indonesia, the public electricity company PLN and AFD signed a MoU aimed at identifying, preparing and supporting projects contributing to the country’s energy transition, particularly in renewable energy, grid modernization and storage solutions. This partnership is part of strengthened cooperation between the European Union, France and Indonesia to support the country’s NDC objectives, under the Global Gateway strategy.
• With Mexico, AFD and the Secrétaría de Energía (SENER) deepened their dialogue to structure a strategic alliance around a technical cooperation program and financial instruments — including a Policy-Based Loan planned for 2025 — to support public-sector reforms, foster clean investments and promote a just transition attentive to social and territorial impacts.
• With South Africa, AFD consolidated long-standing cooperation on power sector transformation, continuing technical exchanges and joint work on the gradual phase-out of coal, the development of renewable energy and the reinforcement of electricity networks. The discussions held throughout the week helped identify new opportunities for collaboration.

AFD, a bridge to French companies

A central objective of the program was to enable foreign partners to directly access the know-how of French companies and operators.

By organizing meetings with key players in the French energy sector — industrial groups, power producers, grid operators and innovative SMEs — AFD fully played its role as a catalyst, facilitating the emergence of technical, industrial and financial collaborations.

From power grid planning to intermittency management, from storage solutions to renewable technologies, the French companies involved presented concrete and exportable solutions, helping strengthen the attractiveness of the French ecosystem and the visibility of its expertise.

This week of exchanges marks a new step forward in cooperation between France and its partners to accelerate ambitious, just and Paris-aligned energy transitions.

Bertrand Walckenaer, Deputy CEO of AFD Group:

“This week confirms how essential peer-to-peer dialogue is for building energy trajectories aligned with the Paris Agreement. The challenges are global and interconnected; they can only be addressed through cooperation founded on trust, shared expertise and a common ambition. AFD Group will remain fully committed to supporting our partners and forging alliances to implement a just and sustainable transition.”

Nicolas Guichard, Head of the Energy Division, AFD:

“The acceleration of the global energy transition cannot take place without emerging economies, which face both rising energy demand and limited investment capacity. This is precisely where AFD Group can play a decisive role — by supporting ambitious public policies, financing decarbonized infrastructure and creating spaces where solutions can be shared. This week of exchanges reflects our determination to co-build by establishing a strategic annual dialogue with our partners.”

Contacts: 

AFD Indonesia 

afdjakarta@afd.fr