ECOWAS seeks rules for batteries and electricity market
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on MyJoyOnline
Energy ministers from the Economic Community of West African States are considering a directive on batteries and a reform of the regional electricity market. Meeting in Accra, they want to facilitate solar integration and fund regional regulatory institutions, according to Ghanaian minister John Abdulai Jinapor.
Energy ministers from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are considering two regional instruments in Accra to regulate battery electricity storage and the electricity market. The first concerns a directive on battery storage systems to facilitate the integration of solar power and other variable generation into grids, while the second would amend the funding mechanism for the regional electricity market, according to MyJoyOnline.
The proposed amendment is intended to provide more resources to regional institutions responsible for regulating and operating the electricity market. Amin Amidu Sulemani, commissioner for infrastructure, energy and digitalisation at the ECOWAS Commission, supported a coordinated approach among member states, saying that separate action would make regional energy development more difficult.
Ghanaian Minister of Energy and Green Transition John Abdulai Jinapor said the use of batteries should help Ghana manage consumption peaks and make better use of its generation capacity. The gap between demand during peak and off-peak periods can reach 800 megawatts in some seasons, he said. Ghana has already completed a tender for about 200 megawatts of solar power and plans to procure an additional 200 megawatts.
John Abdulai Jinapor also called for stronger regional electricity and natural gas exchanges to reduce dependence on external suppliers and exposure to international disruptions, according to MyJoyOnline.
