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The African Development Bank is to provide Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa with a multi-million dollar grant to assist the three countries in improving their public sector energy efficiency investments.
This, in turn, would act as a catalyst for private sector investment, the Bank said.
The AfDBs Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) approved a technical assistance grant of $5.03 million for the three countries to implement the Africa Super Energy Service Companies (ESCO) acceleration programme.
SEFA is a Bank-managed multi-donor fund that works to unlock private sector investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Super ESCOs are vehicles that channel funds into public sector energy efficiency investments such as hospitals, schools and street lighting, paving the way for private investment.
"The acceleration programme catalyses private sector investments in energy efficiency
by operationalising Super ESCOs, thus stimulating the transition toward more sustainable and greener economies," said the AfDB.
Improving energy efficiency in the public sector through private investments
The grant will support the training of a team to operate Super ESCOs and support private ESCOs in the three countries to develop their Energy Performance Contract services.
Private ESCOs provide services to energy users to design and implement energy
efficiency options.
The funding will also underwrite the development of "harmonised regional certification schemes for ESCOs and energy service professionals, including energy auditors, managers and energy savings measurement and verification professionals."
Programme can be used to improve public sector energy efficiency
Saer Diop, Director-Genera I of Senegals Agence pour IEconomie et la MaTtrise de IEnergie (AEME), which promotes energy efficiency, said the programme would enable Senegal to establish its Super ESCO and "boost the energy efficiency market for increased energy performance in the public and private sectors."
Mohamed Cherif, AfDB Senegal Country Manager, said: "Super ESCOs are an efficient tool that governments can draw on to leverage private sector resources to improve the energy efficiency of public facilities and other key energy-consuming sectors.
"I am pleased that Senegal will be one of the first countries to benefit from the Africa Super Energy Service Companies Acceleration Programme."
The Bank said the acceleration programme is paving the way for a successful
implementation of downstream energy efficiency investment programmes in which it, the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa, and other stakeholders would invest. |
