ECOWAS approves new regional electricity market regulations

From Abubakar Yunusa Abuja

The Economic Community of West African States Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA) has approved key guidelines for the development of the sub-regional power market.

ERERA is the regulator of regional cross-border trade of electricity in West Africa.

Kokou Tossou, chairman, ERERA, spoke when he visited Qun Yang, chairman, Sunon Asogli Power Plant, in Kpone, Greater Accra region, Ghana.

He said the authority was committed to protecting the interests of investors and participants in the region’s electricity market, adding that it would ensure profitable investments in the industry.

Tossou noted that electricity production was vital to the viability of the market. 

He said ERERA has approved critical documents for the development of the regional power market, adding that there will also be profitable investments in the energy sector. 

“Approved documents include the regional electricity market procedures for the West African power pool, the WAPP operation manual, the tariff methodology for regional transmission cost and tariff, and the WAPP regional market rules,” he said.

“Others include the WAPP transmission service access and use procedures, which describes the conditions and procedures for access, as well as use and payment of transmission services in the electricity market.”

Tossou said ERERA had also secured the approval of strategic documents such as the directive on the organisation of the regional electricity market.

He noted that the directive requires member states to amend their laws to allow for open access to the transmission network while allowing third-party access to eligible customers.

Meanwhile, Tossou commended Asogli Power Plant, a member of the West African power pool, for its investments in West Africa and its high efficiency in power generation.