ECOWAS energy experts to meet on electricity regulations

Energy experts from ECOWAS member states will meet in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, to agree on modalities on the methods for calculation and payment of regulatory fee, as well as its related regulatory text.

The meeting scheduled for July 24 to 26, 2013 is specifically being organised in compliance with a May 24, 2013 directive by regional Ministers of Energy that the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulation Authority (ERERA), with support from the ECOWAS Commission, should reach consensus and finalize a draft regulation which must lay down the rules for the determination and annual payment of royalties for regional cross-border electricity exchanges.

According to a statement copied to ghanabusinessnews.com, the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulation Authority (ERERA) said the draft resolution was first considered at a meeting of ERERA’s consultative committees on regulators and operators in May 2013 in Lome, Togo.

The committee comprises representatives of regulatory authorities in member states, as well as electricity companies in the region.

These meetings are part of ECOWAS’ efforts to fine-tune its regulatory mechanisms, including issues relating to harmonization of policies and practices, in order to create an attractive environment for investors and boost the development of cross-border electricity exchanges in West Africa.

The regulatory system is also expected to serve as a guarantee for the implementation, monitoring and control of cross-border exchanges, in realization of some of the main objectives for which ERERA was set up in 2008.

By Michael Sarpong-Bruce