A call for tenders has recently been launched by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). The aim is to select consulting firms for the development of a programme to strengthen the electricity network infrastructure of member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The objective is to facilitate the integration of renewable energies into national electricity grids.
The call for tenders comes just a few days after the one issued by the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CEEREC) for the appointment of a consultant to work on its project for the development of the West African Clean Energy Corridor (WACEC) programme. The call for proposals by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), which is scheduled to close on August 31, 2020, has similar objectives. The consulting firms selected at the end of the process will work in close collaboration with the various operators and public companies in the electricity sector, as well as the regulators of ECOWAS member countries. The consultants will also work with the CEREEC in the development of a programme to reinforce the infrastructure of the electricity networks of the ECOWAS region. They will also be tasked with identifying solutions to improve the supply of electricity while enabling a significant increase in wind and solar power generation capacity.
The production of electricity from these renewable sources is increasing significantly in West Africa. Senegal, for example, now has the largest wind farm in the ECOWAS zone. The facility located in the rural commune of Taïba Ndiaye has a capacity of 158.7 MW. While other wind projects are in the pipeline in the sub-region, solar projects are more in the pipeline, particularly in countries such as Togo, Mali and Ghana. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CEEREC) want to combine the efforts of these countries to strengthen their national electricity grids with renewable energies.
Jean Marie Takouleu