Projects and Programmes - Renewable Energy
1. Regional Strategy on Scaling Up Access to Modern Energy Services
The EAC Regional Strategy on Scaling-Up Access to Modern Energy Services aims to increase access to modern energy services by adopting High Impact, Low Cost scalable approaches. It addresses four key targets that are key to poverty reduction and sustainable development in line with the 7th UN Sustainable Development Goal. The four targets include:
- Access to modern cooking practices for 50% of traditional biomass users;
- Access to reliable electricity for all urban and peri-urban poor;
- Access to modern energy services for all schools, clinics, hospitals and community centres; and
- Access to mechanical power within the community for all productive services.
A Five-Year Implementation Action Plan has been adopted specifying national and regional activities.
2. Technical Capacity Building on Small Hydropower in East Africa
East Africa has enormous potential for small Hydropower development which can contribute to enhancing access to modern energy services through renewable and sustainable solutions. The EAC Secretariat with the support of the European Union Energy Initiative-Project Dialogue Facility carried out scoping study to determine the technical capacity on small Hydropower in East Africa and make recommendations on how to close existing gaps through capacity building. The study came up with the following eight interventions in four recommended areas:
| Recommendation | Intervention |
|---|---|
| 1. Training of trainers hosted at a regional or international energy training institute collaborating with operational power plants and on-going projects | |
| 2. Specialised training for O&M hosted at a regional or country technical energy training institute collaborating with operational power plants | |
| 3. Training of technical hydropower engineering experts through short-term specialised courses hosted at a participating university or energy training institute collaborating with operational power plants and on-going projects | |
| 4. Hydropower management and economics experts through short-term specialised courses hosted at a participating university or energy training institute collaborating with operational power plants and on-going projects | |
| 5. Setting up of a dedicated internet platform | |
| 6. Establishment of an EAC Centre of Excellence for Hydropower | |
| 7. International / regional exchange / study visit | |
| 8. Visibility activities for hydropower through annual EAC hydropower symposiums / workshops / exhibitions hosted in a given Partner State on rotational basis and inviting the public to hydropower plants |
The EAC is working with the African Union to implement these recommendations with funding obtained from the Italian Government who is the co-chair of the Africa-EU Energy Partnership. The programme is expected to go on for three years and additional funding is being sought.
3. Establishing the East African Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (EACREEE)
The East African Community is establishing the East African Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (EACREEE). The Overall Objective of the Centre is to contribute towards increased access to modern, affordable and reliable energy services, energy security and mitigation of negative externalities of the energy system, local pollution and GHG emissions by creating an enabling environment for renewable energy and energy efficiency markets and investments. In order to achieve the set objective, EACREEE activities will focus on the following five result areas as:
RESULT AREA 1: Effective regional RE&EE promotion agency created and efficiently managed
RESULT AREA 2: Policy, legal and incentive frameworks to promote RE&EE investments and markets developed created and implemented
RESULT AREA 3: Capacities of the local industry and business sector on various RE&EE aspects are strengthened and applied
RESULT AREA 4: Availability of investment and market data, awareness and advocacy on RE&EE are strengthened
RESULT AREA 5: Investments in RE&EE infrastructure, services and businesses are mobilised and implemented
EAC is being supported in this process by the Government of Austria through the Austrian Development Agency and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation. A Project Document has been developed detailing the design, functions, structure and the budget for the first three-year operational phase.