Power grid
The ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) is set to launch a new regional initiative to improve the sustainability of the electricity sector in West Africa.
The initiative aims to achieve this through effective, harmonized, transparent and enforceable regulatory frameworks that set out clear principles, rules, processes, and standards for the ECOWAS region.
A press release by the Department of Communication, ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority, indicated that the principal objective is to facilitate the efficient utilisation of regional energy infrastructure to further enhance regional electricity trade.
Through selected activities and the identified tools, ERERA aims to assist national regulatory bodies in acquiring adequate knowledge that would enable them to carry out the necessary regulatory work in developing the regional market at the national level.
Entitled the “Regional Harmonization of Regulatory Frameworks and Tools for improved Electricity Regulation in ECOWAS”, the initiative seeks to provide tools for harmonizing regulatory frameworks to facilitate the efficient and timely completion and utilization of regional energy infrastructure
This would be done through the elaboration of Regulatory and Utility Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for ECOWAS Harmonized Comparison of Electricity Tariffs (HCET) in ECOWAS and Cost Reflectivity Assessment.
It will also look at the development of an Energy Information and Database Management System (EIDBMS), as well as the assessment of investment bottlenecks and risks in ECOWAS Member States Electricity Sector.
Expected at the launch are representatives of the Directorate of Energy and Mines of the ECOWAS Commission, the General Secretariat of the West African Power Pool (WAPP), the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE), the Chairpersons of ERERA’s Consultative Committees of Regulators and Operators and members of ERERA’s Tariff and Performance Working Group.
Representatives of the African Development Bank will also attend the launch.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri