The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) have developed a set of principles for regulating electricity from renewable sources for member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The Principles, contained in the document 'Principles of Regulating Clean Energy in the ECOWAS Region,' will assist regulatory authorities in the region as they seek to integrate renewable energy into existing electricity markets.
12 December 2014: The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) have developed a set of principles for regulating electricity from renewable sources for member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The Principles, contained in a document titled ‘Principles of Regulating Clean Energy in the ECOWAS Region,’ will assist regulatory authorities in the region as they seek to integrate renewable energy into existing electricity markets.
Under the ECOWAS Renewable Energy Policy (EREP), ECOWAS member states will strive to increase the share of renewable energy in the electricity mix to 10% by 2020 and to 19% by 2030. As ECOWAS member states will have to introduce new policy and regulatory instruments to achieve these goals, the Principles will guide regulatory agencies in designing such elements as purchasing prices, connection rights and costs, and balancing rules, based on experiences and lessons learned in Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Senegal, the Gambia and Togo.
The key Principles presented in the publication are divided by: roles and responsibilities; remunerating renewable energy; technical connections and balancing principles; and consultation and impact assessments. Following a section with examples from the region, the document details the action items that governments can take for each type of Principle. For example, under roles and responsibilities, potential actions include establishing renewable dispatching priority and identifying a buyer for electricity generated from renewables. Under remuneration, the authors explain how to calculate levelized cost of electricity (LCOE).
Three workshops, held in Cape Verde and Ghana in 2013 and 2014, supported the development of the Principles. NARUC is a non-profit organization representing public service commissions that regulate utilities in the US. [NARUC Publication Webpage] [Publication: Principles of Regulating Clean Energy in the ECOWAS Region] [USAID Website] [ECOWAS Website]