- IRENA and IAEA assist African Union to develop a continental power master plan.
- The initiative is led by AUDA and supported by the European Union.
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have been selected as modelling partners for the establishment of the African Continental Power Systems Master Plan (CMP).
The initiative is led by the African Union Development Agency (AUDA) with the technical and financial support of the European Union (EU). It is aimed at creating a long-term continent-wide planning process. The two agencies’ modelling tools will be the official planning models utilised in this initiative.
African energy ministers tasked the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) to lead the development of the master plan. Following a two-year consultation process coordinated by the EU Technical Assistance Facility (TAF) for Sustainable Energy, the five African power pools selected IRENA and the IAEA to support the continent’s modelling and capacity needs. As a result, the two organisations will develop an electricity master plan that promotes access to affordable, reliable and sustainable electricity supplies across the continent.
A unified transmission network in Africa will enable inter-country trade between African countries and cross-continental trade with Europe and Asia via existing links in North Africa, allowing African countries to source electricity from a wide range of competitive, clean energy sources. It will also create beneficial socioeconomic opportunities by increasing interregional access to affordable African renewable energy resources within the continent, fostering investment opportunities, job growth, and ultimately contributing to the region’s sustainable development.