European Union Energy Initiative (EUEI)

EUEI Bulletin

Selected news and information on European Energy Development Cooperation

No. 6 | November 2016

Dear EUEI Members, dear Readers,

We are happy to share with you November’s  issue of the EUEI Bulletin.

It’s a pretty bumper edition, with a wealth of information and activities, reports and updates we hope you – as the EUEI’s stakeholders – will find relevant for your work in energy development cooperation.

As always, we invite you to join us in our efforts to enhance communication and exchange and to make EUEI efforts visible – send us ideas, stories, experiences, facts and figures from your work.

For any information you would like to share with other EUEI Members, please contact fiona.wollensack@euei-pdf.org.

With regards from Brussels,

Your team of the EUEI support project, EUEI PDF

  UPCOMING EVENTS

1. 12^th IRENA Council Meeting; Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; 1-2 November|Event Details
2. Unlocking Solar Capital Africa, Nairobi, Kenya 1-2 November|Event Details
3. UNFCCC COP 22; Marrakesh, Morocco; 7-18 November|Event Details
4. Development and Climate Days 2016; Marrakesh, Morocco; 12-13 November|Event Details
5. Africa Investment Exchange: Power and Renewables; London, Great Britain; 21-22 November| Event Details
6. Ecosystem Services Partnership Africa Conference; Nairobi, Kenya; 21-25 November| Event Details
7. European Energy Research Alliance: Annual Conference; Birmingham, Great Britain; 24-25 November|Event Details
8. Mayors Summit 2016; Mexico City, Mexico; 30 November-2 December| Event Details
9. 9^th Global Forum on Migration and Development Summit; Dhaka, Bangladesh; 10-12 December| Event Details

THEMATIC SECTIONS

News from the European Union: with news on the Paris agreement, migration, and from the Caribbean and Morocco

In the Spotlight: China’s SDG Plan, SDG indicators, financing for renewables and development effectiveness

Opportunities for the Private Sector: featuring activities of AfDB, EBRD, EIB and news on rural electrification

Africa Focus: With news from the AU, Mali, ECREEE and on the Africa Week in New York

News from the Member States: From photovoltaics to cash prizes!

Media Suggestions: With websites and webinars, reports and training

NEWS FROM THE EUROPEAN UNION

Speeding up the fight against climate change – historic commitment made by the EU

With a historic vote by the European Parliament on the 4^th of October to ratify the UNFFCCC Paris Agreement, this first-ever universal and legally binding climate deal will entry into force on the 4^th of November, earlier than predicted and right before the COP22 in Marrakesh, Morocco. On the 30^th of September, the EU Council had already agreed to speed-up the ratification process but needed the consent of the EP for this. Member states will ratify either together with the EU, if they have completed their national procedures, or as soon as possible. Despite this clear signal of support, Members of the EP urged all parties to the Paris Agreement - including the EU - to step up their emissions reduction efforts given that the current sum of all national pledges (Nationally Determined Contributions – NDCs) “does not bring the world even close to the target of halting global warming at two degrees”.

For the Council’s decision, see here.

For more information about the EP vote and the way forward, please use this link.

A press release about the additional European Parliament resolution can be found here. 

Do not “jeapordise” development aid to manage migration: Clear stance of European Parliament

The sudden substantial increase in the number of migrants to Europe in recent years has made the link between EU development and migration policy more complex. This is the main conclusion of a briefing on the issue, formulated by the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS). It also highlights that the European Parliament, along with non-governmental organisations, has taken a clear stand against the risk that development policy achievements and objectives be “jeopardised” in the bid to fight the root causes of migration. Making sure that development aid is not exploited for managing migration but continues to tackle its original objectives, such as poverty alleviation and enforcement of democratic values in partner countries, will be one of the key issues of the ongoing revision of the European Consensus on Development, originally adopted in December 2005.

For more information, click here.

Caribbean and EU deepen cooperation in the field of sustainable energy

The European Union-CARIFORUM Sustainable Energy Conference, held in Barbados in October, marked a starting point for deepening the cooperation between the European Union and the Caribbean region, especially with regard to the Caribbean’s full transition to an enduring renewable, efficient and modern energy service. To that aim, a Joint Declaration on Reinforced Cooperation in the field of Sustainable Energy between the EU, the European Investment Bank and CARIFORUM was signed. It is amended by four financial agreements under ongoing regional and bilateral development cooperation, including the European Development Fund. €3 million for example will be provided to the Barbados Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Sector. Getting the private sector engaged in renewable energy and consumers in using energy efficiency measures are additional goals.

More information can also be found on the conference website.

European Banks: Teaming up for energy efficiency in Morocco

Three European Banks - the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Agence Française de Developpement (AFD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) - are teaming up to strengthen sustainable energy developments in Morocco, with the support of the European Union Neighbourhood Investment Facility (EU NIF). Together, they are providing a €35 million financing facility to BMCE Bank of Africa and its leasing subsidiary Maghrebail. The finance line is the third under the Morocco Sustainable Energy Financing Facility (MorSEFF) - a programme for sustainable energy investments through financial institutions. The EBRD-led facility is dedicated to financing energy efficiency and small-scale renewable energy investments in the country and will take small and medium-sized enterprises into account. BMCE Bank of Africa will also promote energy-efficient and renewable energy technologies, and strengthen local production.

For more information, see here.

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT

China releases National Plan to implement the SDGs

China has released its National Plan for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The plan translates each one of the 17 SDGs into “action plans” and specific targets for China. For example, the plan includes a national grain production target of over 600 billion kilograms by 2020 (SDG 2), maternal and child mortality targets (SDG 3), and “zero growth” in fertilizers and pesticides (SDG 2). The plan also mentions China’s delivery of the “Six 100s” international cooperation pledge, announced by President Xi Jinping during the UN Sustainable Development Summit in September 2015. The “Six 100s” are: 100 poverty alleviation programmes; 100 agricultural cooperation programmes; 100 trade facilitation programmes; 100 programmes for ecological protection and combating climate change; construction of 100 hospitals and clinics, and construction of 100 schools and vocational training centres. China currently holds the G20 Presidency, and has called on the G20 to formulate its own action plan on the 2030 Agenda.

More detailed information about the specific targets set by China can be found here.

GPEDC Outcome - Public comments on effective development are welcome

Ahead of the Second High-Level Meeting of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation (GPEDC) which takes place in Nairobi, Kenya, from the 28th of November to the 1st of December, a draft of the outcome document has been released for public comment. The online consultation is still open until the 15th of November. The document recommends actions to improve the effectiveness of development cooperation, ways to ensure “leaving no one behind” and multi-stakeholder approaches to maximise the contribution of development practitioners. The document also expresses commitment to urgent action in line with four principles: country ownership, focus on results, inclusive partnerships and transparency and accountability. The GPEDC will bring together representatives of national and sub-national governments with heads of businesses and organisations, with the aim of addressing SDG17 – building partnerships for implementing the SDGs. Stakeholders are invited to send their feedback to the draft document via: info@effectivecooperation.org.

For more information, click here.

SDGs on the ground: Still struggling for review structures and the right indicators

More than one year after agreeing on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, debate on how to implement the 17 SDGs and their 169 targets – and how to monitor implementation – remains. At the 71^st session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), members stressed that robust indicators and a structured follow-up, review and monitoring process with a National Integrated Result Frameworks were needed to achieve the SDGs on a global scale. They also stressed the importance of gender equality, education, peace and security and youth employment for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. In July 2016, the High-level Political Forum (HLPF), the central UN body tasked with monitoring the implementation of the SDGs, met for the first time. 22 countries presented their Voluntary National Reviews (VNR). According to this, some key steps have been taken and new institutional arrangements made in several countries to meet the SDGs – still the process differs a lot from country to country. At the next session of the HLPF in July 2017, a further 24 countries (among them Kenya and Ethiopia) will present VNRs. Meanwhile, the UN Inter-Agency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development (IAEG-SDGs) continues to work on developing a set of global and robust indicators, with a review of a number of indicators (including for SDG7) currently under way. Following an online consultation held in September, possible changes to the indicators will be discussed at the 4^th meeting of the IAEG-SDGs, to be held 15-18 November 2016 in Geneva. 

For further info about review process and indicator development use this link or click here.

Energy investment not flowing at necessary rate: IEA reports on ´World Energy Investment 2016’

While energy investment is flowing increasingly toward clean energy, it is not flowing at the rate necessary to achieve the Paris Agreement’s goals, according to experts from the International Energy Agency (IEA). IEA’s “World Energy Investment 2016” report - the first of its kind - concludes that the 8% drop in investment in 2015 was largely attributable to a decrease in upstream oil and gas spending. The report finds that renewables were the largest source of power investment, at US$313 billion. And, although spending on renewable capacity did not grow from 2011 to 2015, power generation from the new capacity rose by one-third, demonstrating steep technology cost declines. Still, clean energy investment lags behind. 

For more details, click here.

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OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE PRIVATE SECTOR

EIB and UBA provide €60 million lending programme for the private sector in Nigeria

The European Investment Bank (EIB) and United Bank for Africa (UBA) have agreed upon a new €60 million lending programme to support private sector investment across Nigeria – representing the EIB’s largest ever loan to UBA. The new programme was formally agreed on the side-lines of the World Bank Annual Meetings in Washington D.C. It represents the first Nigerian operation under the EIB’s new dedicated Nigeria Private Enterprise Investment Facility. “Private sector investment is crucial for creating jobs and ensuring sustainable economic growth. We are committed to unlocking investment across Africa”, said Ambroise Fayolle, Vice President of the EIB.

For more information, click here.

New AfDB Green Mini-Grid Help Desk to accelerate universal energy in Africa

A new Green Mini-Grid (GMG) Help Desk for renewable energy mini-grid project developers was launched by the AfDB-hosted sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) Africa Hub during the 3^rd International Off-Grid Renewable Energy Conference (IOREC), held on the 1^st of October in Nairobi, Kenya. The GMG Help Desk provides on-line technical assistance and country-specific information on a variety of topics, including how to set-up a mini-grid business and select a site, as well as on legal and compliance issues, mini-grid business models, technical system design, community and stakeholder engagement, financing, procurement, installation and commissioning, operation and maintenance. The GMG Help Desk is part of the larger Green Mini-Grid Market Development Program (MDP) implemented by the SE4All Africa Hub, and funded through the AfDB's Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA). It is supposed to be a key tool to accelerate universal energy access in Africa by 2025. Today, 645 million Africans, nearly 60% of the population, do not have access to electricity.

More information can be found here.

Overcoming obstacles to installing climate tech – EBRD support for private companies

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), via its Finance and Technology Transfer Centre for Climate Change (FINTECC), seeks to support private business by raising awareness for innovative efficiency technology available on the market. According to EBRD experts, a number of obstacles prevent companies from implementing climate technology – among them a lack of knowledge about existing options as well as a lack of local supply chains. Companies thus often are facing costs which would be negated, were they better informed. FINTECC supports these companies with individual investment consultancy, specific market information and market potential assessments. Companies that have successfully installed climate technology can apply for a partial reimbursement of investments. FINTECC’s programmes are financed by different donors, with the UN Global Environmental Facility (GEF) the main one.

For more details, read the interview about the programme.

ALER and RECP bringing renewable energy to Portuguese speaking countries in Africa

Supporting the promotion of renewable energy markets in Portuguese-speaking countries is the aim of a new cooperation between ALER (Associacao Lusófona de Energías Renováveis), a Portuguese non-profit association, and RECP, the Africa-EU Renewable Energy Cooperation Programme, a multi-donor instrument of the Africa-EU Energy Partnership (AEEP). Under the agreement, the parties will cooperate to contribute to broad and sustained market development for renewable energy (RE) in Africa. The agreement foresees different activities in order to bring together African and European stakeholders active in the RE market in African Portuguese-speaking countries. This includes the translation of documents into Portuguese, the collection and dissemination of information and the organisation of information and matchmaking events. The initial project duration is 16 months.

More information can be found here.

Scaling-up clean rural electrification markets in Asia

To help private investors who plan to implement a clean energy project in Asia, the Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) is increasing its presence in the region. Myanmar, for example, has been identified by ARE as a highly interesting market for off-grid solutions. At the recent Myanmar Green Energy Summit the Alliance presented PURE, an initiative for the productive use of clean energies. Investors interested in Asia can also benefit from ARE’s Off-Grid Matchmaking Platform and the Off-Grid Job Platform. Both work to increase the quantity and quality of clean energy projects worldwide and scale-up off-grid markets based on self-sustainable business models. In addition, ARE has become a partner of the Energy for All Initiative, run by the Asian Development Bank, ADB.

You can access ARE’s OFF-Grid Matchmaking Platform here.

The link to the OFF-Grid Job Platform is available here.

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AFRICA FOCUS

Africa Week 2016: Implementing the universal master plan – in alignment with Africa’s Agenda

Climate change, good governance and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development where the focus of this year’s Africa Week, which took place from 10-14 October at UN headquarters in New York. The theme: “Strengthening Partnerships for Inclusive Sustainable Development, Good Governance, Peace and Stability in Africa”.United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon called for continued support to the continent, especially given that “the road to 2030 is long and arduous”. The President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), Peter Thomson, called for an alignment between the 2030 Agenda and Africa’s own Agenda 2063, as well as for the rapid implementation of all global agreements: “The 2030 Agenda, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda for Financing Development and the Paris Agreement on combating climate change together provide humanity with a universal master plan that will transform our world.” Linking the SDGs and Africa’s Agenda 2063 was also called for at a dedicated high-level event during the Africa Week.

Find the UN’s own press releasehere.

For more information about the SDG/Agenda 2063 high level event, see this page. 

AU insights: Kenyan candidate to chair Commission, Morocco on its way to re-join the club

Several dynamic developments are currently taking place at the African Union (AU). Towards the end of September, African Ministers of Finance agreed on a roadmap for implementing a 0.2 per cent import levy to fund the AU. This will help raise $1.2 billion for reliable, sustainable and predictable financing of the Union's activities, according to Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, acting Chairperson of the AU Commission. Further, for the upcoming election of her successor to the position in January 2017, Kenya has nominated its Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed as a candidate. Additionally, the Kingdom of Morocco has officially submitted a request to re-join the African Union – after 32 years of non-membership. The North African country withdrew from the then Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1984 over the disputed admission of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (Western Sahara) as a full member of the body. Ever since, Morocco was the only African country not a member.  

For more information about AU’s funding decision, click here.

News about the election of the AUC’s chairperson can be found here and via this link.

For Morocco’s request to re-join the AU, visit this page.

ECREEE launches new version of interactive data portal

The ECOWAS Centre for Renewable and Energy Efficiency, ECREE, officially released a new version of one of its flagship products, the ECOWAS Observatory for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency OWREX Interactive Data Portal (ECOWREX). The platform was designed to improve existing knowledge in the energy sector, to bridge information gaps, alleviate information barriers within the ECOWAS region, and provide decision makers, project developers, investors and other stakeholders with tailored information and planning strategies. The new data portal archives over 20,000 data points covering renewable energy and energy efficiency information from 2010 to 2016 for the 15 ECOWAS member states.

For more information, refer to this link.

Towards long-term peace and stability: EU provides €67 million to Mali

Several projects of cooperation, worth a total amount of €67 million, were signed by the EU’s Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, and the government of Mali, during his official visit to the country in September 2016. The projects are mainly financed by the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa and aim to directly contribute to long-term peace and development in Mali, thereby also fighting the root causes of migration. The focus lies on improving food security, local development, and security and resilience to the most vulnerable people, as well as on improving access to education. The projects also intend to support the implementation of the Mali Peace Deal signed in June 2015. The West African country is one of the main beneficiaries of the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, set up at the Valetta Summit on Migration in November 2015.

For more information, see the accompanying press release.

Information about the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa and ongoing projects can be found here.

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NEWS FROM THE MEMBER STATES

Netherlands

The Dutch development bank FMO has arranged a $14.7 million senior loan for the financing of the 10 MW Tororo solar photovoltaic (PV) project in Uganda. The PV plant will be developed and owned by Building Energy, an Italy-based renewables developer which has already set up more than 2,000 MW of renewable energy projects in Africa. The solar PV plant will be located in the Tororo area in Eastern Uganda. Uganda has one of the lowest electricity consumption per capita in the world, with an average electrification rate of 18.2%.The Tororo solar project is expected to generate enough power for 36,200 people.The project is developed under the GET FiT support scheme for renewable energy projects, managed by Germany’s KfW Development Bank in partnership with Uganda’s government. It is funded by the EU Infrastructure Trust Fund and also supported by the governments of Norway, Germany and the UK. 

For more information, refer to this link.

UK

A total of $600,000 in cash prizes have been made available by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) and USAID through the Global LEAP Awards Off-Grid Refrigerator Competition, a global competition aimed at spurring innovation in the emerging off-grid refrigeration market and advancing access to modern energy services around the world. DFID just recently joined the Global LEAP Competition. It will offer three innovation prizes to incentivise advancements in off-grid refrigeration technology, while also recognising best-in-class commercially available off-grid refrigerators. Each of the three innovation prizes is worth some $200,000. Winners and finalists will also be eligible for participation in a new programme designed to scale-up clean energy access markets by incentivising bulk procurement of outstanding off-grid appliances. 

For more information, click here.

Germany

The German government will provide €260 million over the next two years to Bangladesh to support the countries’ development, especially in the energy sector, and to improve the social and ecological standards within the textile production sector. This was announced by Hans-Joachim Fuchtel, Parliamentarian Secretary of State at the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) during his visit to the country in October. Germany will support Bangladesh to extend its energy supply to the population and the industrial sector, as a key factor for economic growth and job creation. €200 million will therefore be directed to the extension of renewable energies, an improved grid system and energy efficiency measures. 

For the full news (in German), refer to this link.

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MEDIA SUGGESTIONS

• Alliance of Civil Society Organisations for Clean Energy Access (the ACCESS Coalition) launces new website and newsletter https://access-coalition.org.
• Launch of EAC Report at IOREC: http://www.ren21.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/REN21-EAC-web-EN.pdf.pdf
• IEA Energy Efficiency Market Report 2016: http://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/mediumtermenergyefficiency2016.pdf
• Key World Energy Statistics 2016
• http://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/KeyWorld2016.pdf
• New Climate Economy Report 2016: The Sustainable Infrastructure Imperative: Financing for Better Growth and Development http://newclimateeconomy.report/
• The Poor People´s Energy Outlook 2016; National Energy Access Planning from the Bottom Up http://policy.practicalaction.org/ppeo2016?utm_source=Practical%20Action%20Limited&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=7606057_PPEO%202016%20report%20dissemination%201&dm_i=6WS,4J0VD,KF84RU,GRLIT,1
• The European Investment Bank in Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific Business Strategy 2016-2018: http://www.eib.org/attachments/country/acp_business_strategy_2016-2018_en.pdf
• Webinar on Scaling up gender: women in off-grid energy business models and supply chains https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2397829628857963521
• GWEC Webcasts: http://www.gwec.net/events/webinars/
• SDG Academy https://courses.sdgacademy.org/
• SDSN Youth Launched 2030 Initiative http://twenty-thirty.org/
• Interview with Patrick Gomes (ACP Group of States): Diversifying partnership is key for our future” http://www.afronline.org/?p=42556

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