Shell has granted $1.7 million to six companies providing electricity in India, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Uganda. The companies are d.light, PowerGen, Husk Power Systems, Orb Energy, SolarNow and RVE.SOL. The grant should help their customers pay for electricity for up to six months.

The question must be asked: Why does Shell only help the customers of those companies in which Shell has a stake? Subsidies of course help these companies to survive economically. But unilateral subsidies also pose a great threat to market stability.

Read more: Shell