Regional Training Workshop on the Promotion of National Renewable Energy Policies and Incentive Schemes in the ECOWAS Member States

ECREEE and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) are jointly organising two training workshops on the Promotion of National Renewable Energy Policies and Incentive Schemes for participants from the 15 ECOWAS Member States.  The Workshops will take place back-to-back from 9-13 and 16-20 September 2013. The training workshops are held within the framework of the implementation of the ECOWAS Renewable Energy Policy, recently adopted by the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government. They will also prepare participating countries in the development of National Renewable Energy Action Plans (NREAPs), which will contribute to the attainment of the targets of the regional policies.

The workshops therefore aim to provide a better understanding of renewable energy sources and favourable conditions for an advanced market development. In particular, they will strive to:

1. Enhance the understanding of policy makers on the economic, social and environmental benefits of renewable energies;
2. Showcase viability of RE technologies to policy makers, regulators and utilities;
3. Provide an overview on available policies and regulatory mechanisms to promote on- and off-grid electricity generation including implications on public budgets to policy makers, regulators and utilities;
4. Provide information on the successful and less successful RE policy and regulatory frameworks in Cape Verde, Ghana, Senegal and others in the region;
5. Increase the understanding of regulators in the determination of viable electricity tariffs for RE projects, and for the significance of stable tariffs to increase access in rural areas and address power deficit in the national grid;
6. Increase the understanding of utilities on the contribution of IPPs in reducing shortfalls and disruptions in electricity supply through PV power plants and development of standardized Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs);
7. Build an understanding of the market power in the public sector and promote public procurement as a tool to support market introduction of RE technologies, contribute to the modernization of the economy, create sustainable markets and jobs, and to provide best practices; and
8. Enable participants to better handle the foreseen ECOWAS NREAP procedure and policy formulation.

Representatives of the Ministries of Energy, National Electricity Regulators, Electricity Utilities of ECOWAS Member States as well as other regional stakeholders are expected to participate in the workshop.