ERERA’s Consultative Committees of Regulators and Operators – two main organs that assist the institution’s Regulatory Council in its decision-making – will hold their joint 21st session on July 17 and 18 2023 in Niamey, Niger to discuss issues related to the status of essential documents for the ECOWAS regional power market.
The documents include the Tariff Methodology and Regional Transmission Pricing Model Procedures as well as the development of Market Surveillance Rules.
The transmission tariff methodology for the West African Power Pool (WAPP) will be used by the Regional System and Market Operator (SMO) to develop a clear, transparent and predictable model for the calculation of transmission prices.
In addition, it will help define rules that will govern transmission pricing between parties involved in cross-border exchange transactions in the regional electricity market.
For its part, the Market Surveillance Rules have been developed by ERERA to provide transparent procedures and processes to monitor the regional electricity market, in accordance with its powers to prevent abuse and distortions as well as sanction defaulters.
They will also specify the roles to be played by the various stakeholders in the region to facilitate effective monitoring of the market.
The Consultative Committees which comprise experts drawn from the national regulatory authorities and operators from ECOWAS Member States will be briefed on the development of the rules for determining regional market fees and levies.
These experts will also receive updates on the activities planned to enhance synergy with sub-regional energy organizations.
They include The Gambia River Basin Development Organization (OMVG) with four countries States – The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau and Senegal; the Communauté Electrique du Bénin (CEB), composed of Benin and Togo; Transco CLSG, involving Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea; and the Organization for the Development of the Senegal River (OMVS).
The sub-regional energy organizations, which will be affected by the market rules, will be integrated in the approval process of the WAPP Grid Code.
Members of the joint Consultative Committees will further be briefed on ERERA’s gender mainstreaming activities, including ERERA’s collaboration with the ECOWAS Gender Development Centre and development of guidelines for gender mainstreaming for electricity regulators in Member States.