The Chairman of the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA), Monsieur Kocou Laurent Rodrigue Tossou, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), Ing. Ebenezer Kofi Essienyi has held discussions on the approval processes for the ECOWAS Regional Transmission Tariff.
The approval of the tariff will enable stakeholders in the power transmission sector, especially those engaged in regional trade in electricity to be appropriately compensated.
These came up when a delegation of the ERERA, led by its Chairman, Mr. Laurent Tossou paid a courtesy call on the CEO and Management of GRIDCo on Monday 16th January, 2023.
As part of the discussions, Ing. Essienyi said, “the absence of an approved transmission tariff has created bottlenecks, which impede power trade flows in the region and together this needs to be addressed.” The ERERA Chairman Mr. Tossou indicated that, “ERERA will finalise a transmission model that will ensure synergy in the electricity market for review in February, and we trust GRIDCo to play a critical role in the review of these models going forward.”
Mr. Tossou also informed GRIDCo about the upcoming launch of the second phase of the regional electricity market, and requested a deeper collaboration with the Company, considering its experience and strategic relevance to the development of the Market.
The two also discussed:
• Integration of renewable energy into the electricity market.
• Capacity-building programs for power sector practitioners.
• Harmonization of national legal texts, data collection, and,
• Expansion of market infrastructure.
Other members of ERERA’s delegation were Regulatory Council Member, Dr. Haliru Dikko; the Head of Administration and Finance, Mr. Ofosuhene Apenteng-Takyiako and Communication Officer, Mr. Uwem Thompson.
ERERA is mandated to regulate cross-border trade in electricity in West Africa. As part of its functions, ERERA is to approve critical documents for the development of the regional power market.
