Energy experts from across the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are meeting in Accra to review regulatory measures aimed at strengthening the regional electricity market and improving access to reliable and affordable power.
The two-day meeting, which runs from Tuesday, October 20, to Wednesday, October 21, is focused on advancing energy storage technologies and strengthening the financial sustainability of the regional electricity market.
The meeting brings together representatives of energy ministries in ECOWAS member states, the ECOWAS Commission and its institutions, as well as the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), to examine proposed regulatory instruments and make recommendations to energy ministers.
One of the key instruments under consideration is a draft directive on the deployment of battery energy storage systems (BESS) and other energy storage technologies, proposed by the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE).
The experts are also reviewing a draft regulation submitted by the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA) to amend Regulation C/REG.14/12/23 on the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Market Levy.
Five additional memoranda have also been presented for the information of ministers.
The recommendations from the meeting will be considered at the ECOWAS Energy Ministers’ meeting scheduled for Thursday, October 22, in Accra, where ministers are expected to determine the next steps on the proposed regulatory measures.
Speaking on behalf of the President of the ECOWAS Commission and the Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitisation, the Commission’s Director of Energy and Mines, Arkadius Koumoin, said the meeting’s outcomes would be significant to the region’s energy future.
He said the recommendations would support the deployment of energy storage technologies, strengthen the financial sustainability of the regional electricity market and ultimately improve access to reliable and affordable electricity across West Africa.
Ghana's Deputy Minister of Energy and Green Transition, Richard Gyan Mensah, who declared the meeting open, expressed confidence that the deliberations would produce practical recommendations to strengthen regional energy cooperation and advance universal and sustainable access to electricity.
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