NAN-H-2
Energy
By Temitope Ponle
Abuja, Jan. 21, 2017 (NAN) The development of an ECOWAS Information and Coordination Centre (ICC) for a sub-regional energy market will enhance power distribution in West Africa, ECOWAS Commission has said.
The Commission in a statement in Abuja on Friday said ECOWAS Commission President, Marcel de Souza, and some officials officially launched the construction of the centre in Abomey-Calavi in Benin Republic.
“With the launch, Abomey-Calavi is expected to be West Africa’s energy centre.
“This satellite town of Cotonou in Southern Benin has been chosen by ECOWAS to serve as a focal point for the West African Power Pool (WAPP),” the commission said.
WAPP was created in 1999 by the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS to promote reliable power supply in West Africa.
The power pool is also aimed at integrating the operations of the national power systems into a unified regional electricity market to provide stable and reliable electricity supply to citizens at competitive cost.
According to WAPP Secretary General, Apollinaire Siengui Ki, the primary objective of WAPP is to “promote and develop electricity generation and transmission facilities that interconnect member states into a regional energy market”.
The ICC is, accordingly, being set up to promote this market, the secretary explained.
Ambassador Josep Coll, Resident Representative of the European Union Commission in Benin, said with the launch of ICC, member states had launched a drive to pool resources to address the inadequate power supply that hindered development.
“Through this project, you have resolved to pool your production capacity which is unevenly distributed in the sub-region.
“Pooling resources will, in the long run, help in the supply of reliable, sustainable and cost-effective power for all 300 million inhabitants of the West African region,” he said.
Coll added that hydro-electricity and natural gas were sources of clean energy that allowed for the production of electricity at very competitive prices to avoid importing fuel at very high costs.
He further said that pooling and developing a regional energy market “is a fantastic spirit of solidarity for countries that do not have such resources”.
He further said that member states would benefit from a transparent and competitive energy market that would serve as a basis for sustainable development.
The EU is the main partner of ECOWAS in the project and has provided a grant of 30 million euros as part of the 10th Economic Development Fund Regional Indicative Programme, ECOWAS Commission explained.
TheECOWAS Commission’s president expressed gratitude to the EU and outlined the importance of electricity for development.
“Without power, there is no job creation; without electricity also, we cannot fight poverty nor can we have development and industrialisation,” de Souza said.
In a bid to address the power situation in the sub-region, the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government developed a masterplan to generate about 10.3gw, representing 10,300mw, for all member states by 2025.
In this respect, ECOWAS is sourcing for 26 billion dollars to address this challenge. (NAN)
TOP/JCE
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Edited by Chukwudi Ekezie