We can inform on the launch of the new project “Promoting Renewable Energy Investments in the Electricity Sector of Guinea Bissau”. The GEF funded project is implemented by UNIDO in close cooperation with the Ministry of Energy and Industry, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) and TESE – Associação para o Desenvolvimento pela Tecnologia, Engenharia, Saúde e Educação. The project is also supported by SIDS DOCK – The Sustainable Energy Island Initiative of the AOSIS.
The project addresses the existing energy challenges of the country by promoting renewable energy investments in the electricity sector. The combined and integrated interventions in the areas of technology demonstration, policy support and capacity building will create an enabling environment for the scaling-up of renewable energy investments.
Under the investment component a set of renewable energy projects with a total capacity of 2.5 MW will be developed and implemented. They cover technology areas such as medium-scale PV, mini-grid hybrid systems (between 312 to 500 kW) for rural electrification and productive uses, PV stand-alone systems and bioelectricity systems for industrial facilities in the fishery and cashew processing sectors. Long-term investments will be mobilized through a National Renewable Energy Investment Plan (NREIP) and a special financing facility.
The project will also lay the foundation for the development of the hydropower project Salthino HPP (19 MW) in the context of the OMVG interconnection project comprising Guinea, Guinea Bissau, The Gambia and Senegal. Once implemented it will mark a major transformational shift from the use of diesel and heavy fuel to sustainable energy. The project will be developed in close partnership with the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) of the African Development Bank (AfDB) and other partners. The hydro project is part of the ECOWAS Small Hydro Power Program supported by the Austrian Government.
In addition, the GEF project will support the development of an industrial renewable energy policy and action plan. The activity is being implemented under the umbrella of the ECOWAS Renewable Energy Policy (EREP) process which is executed by ECREEE. The project will also strengthen the capacities of local training institutions by executing train-the-trainer workshops. South-south knowledge transfer and exchange from universities and companies in Cape Verde will be promoted.
The project will facilitate also the international awareness campaign “SE4ALL for Guinea Bissau”. The project is expected to have a major positive social, economic and environmental impact for the country.
Further information is available at: http://www.ecreee.org. Please do not hesitate to contact us for further questions or suggestions.
