As the Swedish support forms part of a larger program financed by many Developing Partners, it is sometimes difficult to give specifics of the MDTF (Swedish financed) part. However, in this chapter, most results are attributable to Swedish financing.
The results in the SAPP part, could be linked to the three focal areas of the support 1) Enhancing an electricity trade enabling environment including capacity building, political economy, system planning, market instruments and regulation. 2) Unlocking regional transmission constraints, i.e. supporting building of transmission lines 3) Advancing decarbonisation and scaling up renewable energy production units, i.e. supporting feasibility studies for renewable energy plants, particularly in solar, wind and hydro.
In the first area there are 3 main results, i.e. i) the establishment of an Advisory Unit at SAPP offices in Harare ii) the development of a Regional Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) and iii) the development of a Regional Master Plan (SAPP Pool Plan).
In the second area there are also 3 main results; i) the SAPP-EAPP Interconnection Study has been finalised ii) Feasibility studies for specific pipeline projects has been finalised (eight with IDA/MDTF funding and 7 with other financing) iii) A Project Development Readiness Assessment (PDRA) tool has been developed to help member countries to more effectively develop there transmission connections and renewable power generation facilities.
In the third area a Regional Renewable Energy Integration Study has been finalised.
In respect to results under the EAPP component, achievements have been made in the following five activity areas; 1) Technical and fiduciary capacity strengthening 2) Operational readiness 3) Stakeholder engagement 4) Operationalization of technical committees 5) Elaboration of a EAPP Short Term Action Plan.
EAPP has made substantial progress from the start of the AREP engagement. The EAPP general secretariat has been strengthened with budget, staff, and advisers and is now able to deliver results to its members and is coordinating more effectively with regional stakeholders and development partners. The EAPP technical committees have been reinvigorated and the stage 1 of the Interconnection Code program is almost complete. There is an agreement on the strategic direction, action plans, and monitoring frameworks between MS, GS and donors.
MDTF funded technical assistance has been provided to the Operations and Planning Committees of the EAPP. The TA has spanned approximately 2 years and will be completed 2021.
Capacity building for technical committees was also provided with the aim of carrying forward the work after the consultancy ends – working groups being established. A Senior adviser has been brought on board to leverage experience from SAPP. There has been strong participation by the member utilities. 1:1 meetings with each member utility is currently ongoing to discuss findings and next steps.
The plan is to develop the regional power market in a phased manner: growing bilateral trade followed by the implementation of a competitive market.
At an initial phase EAPP will play a key role in supporting bilateral trade: facilitating PPA negotiations and commercial agreements between utilities, adopting contract templates for power purchases and wheeling and adopting rules for x-border imbalances.
Institutional strengthening and stakeholder outreach is key for moving regional integration agenda forward and has and will contain i) the revitalization of Technical Committees for Operations, Planning, Market, ii) Next EAPP Short Term Action Plan finalized early 2021, iii) Donor coordination and workshops on i.a. private capital injection i transmission finance and iv) facilitate the integration of Somalia, Eritrea, and South Sudan into EAPP.
