This year continues to bring new opportunities for the NRECA International team. They are:
Mozambique
NRECA International will help the Government of Mozambique in its efforts to bring electricity to five villages as part of its Renewable Energy for Rural Development Programme. Funded by the Belgian Government, this project will be implemented by the Belgian Development Agency (Enabel) and the Energy Fund (FUNAE). NRECA International will serve as the owner’s engineer and supervise the construction of five minigrids in these villages.
The team also is supporting the country’s national power utility – Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM), prepare for the second phase of the ProEnergia program, designed to extend services of the existing power grid. Funded by the World Bank, the support involves helping EDM oversee the procurement of materials and services required to connect all existing potential customers who are currently living without electricity in peri-urban and rural areas across the country.
Colombia
To help the Government of Colombia’s Ministry of Mines and Energy plan and implement its rural electrification programs, the team will be supporting an effort to implement multiple rural electrification projects with renewable systems in areas that do not have power.
To do this, members of the NRECA International team will collect data using GIS technology to determine the baseline of energy poverty in the country and conduct an analysis by georeferencing of the data. Upon completion, the team will determine the link between socioeconomic outcomes and energy poverty to help the stakeholders understand the correlation and take the necessary steps to help increase access to electricity in the rural areas.
Burundi
Virunga Power, a private power developer in East Africa, is working with the Government of Burundi to modernize the electric distribution service throughout rural Burundi. Virunga recently contracted NRECA International to perform a pre-feasibility analysis to evaluate the viability of this electrification initiative. This study will evaluate the expansion potential of the Virunga distribution concession area, the cost of rehabilitation and expansion of network service, and potential for developing mini-grids in Burundi over a twenty-year concession period.
Ghana
After 20 years of implementing its National Electrification Scheme (NES), more than 85 percent of the people in Ghana have access to electricity. NRECA International has been contracted to help the government update the existing NES Master Plan to focus on the electrification for smaller communities located in challenging geographical areas. Funded by the World Bank, this “last-mile” electrification plan effort will likely require off-grid technical solutions for electrification.
Senegal
Funded by the Millennium Challenge Corporation through MCA Senegal II, the NRECA International team will support the National Electricity Company of Senegal (SENELEC) to integrate and improve its Geographic Information System with other business systems that SENELEC employs. This process improvement and capability building project is intended to support SENELEC’s efforts to increase the supply and demand for quality electricity in rural and peri-urban areas of Senegal.
The Philippines
The NRECA International team will perform a feasibility study for the Philippines Rural Electrification Financing Corporation (REFC) to facilitate development of grid-tied solar generation facilities at three REFC electric cooperatives. The project is intended to demonstrate the value of diversifying power supply by REFC members and expand REFC’s investment portfolio into power supply for its cooperative members. Funded by the US Trade and Development Agency, NRECA International will subsequently develop technical specifications, designs, engineering, financial, economic, and other support for financially viable solar PV facilities as embedded generation within the distribution grids of the following three Philippine electric cooperatives: COTELCO- PPALMA, CAGELCO II, and CANORECO.