ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA) has assured ECOWAS citizens of cost-effective, green energy.
The Chairman, ERERA, Laurent Tossou, said this yesterday at the launch of the second phase of the Electricity Market in 2023.
He spoke to journalists on the side-lines of the 89th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers, in Abuja.
Tossou alongside other Heads of ECOWAS Institutions were administered their oath of office during the opening Session of the Ministerial Session.
He said after the launch of the second phase of the electricity market, ERERA will regulate and harmonise the electricity market among member states’ electricity institutions, sustainable and affordable electricity for the good of the people.
He said: “We just finished the swearing in ceremony, it is symbolic but very important. You know that the Heads of States have established the market in the West Africa power pool since 2008 and they did a mission for four institutions in which we have ERERA.
“ERERA has some objectives, regulate the market of electricity, establish the rules of electricity market and try to accompany all the countries who have the need to establish on each of them the same institutions of regulatory authorities in electricity.
“Since 2018, the Ministers of ECOWAS have launched the first phase of the electricity market in which we would like to be sure that the bilateral contracts signed are well done and they can easily exchange the electricity between each other.
“They also expect that the grid will be done from Nigeria to the Gambia on one way to facilitate the communication, the trans-border exchange of electricity between each country of ECOWAS.
“Now, ERERA is preparing for the second phase of the electricity market because we need to be in competition.
“The market consists of the producers, the clients and also the government and we need to establish competition in order to help the people of each country to have affordable electricity, sustainable electricity and a cost that is very good for each person.
“And the objective of ERERA is to establish all the roles in order to monitor this kind of market which is very critical because many things are involved, legal affairs, economic affairs, and technical affairs.
“And ERERA is in charge of establishing all the roles to monitor this electricity market.
“Today, we are sending a voice to each country that we need to build together this market because electricity is the base of development and we are sure that they will follow us on the rules that are going to be established.”
ERERA will regulate and harmonise the electricity market among member states’ electricity institutions, sustainable and affordable electricity for the good of the people.
Responding to concerns on green/renewable energy, Tossou said it is not possible to talk about sustainable and effective power in the 21st century without talking of green energy.
He said that Africa and the West African sub-region is blessed with a lot of natural resources, which ERERA will efficiently harness for renewable energy especially in a bid to address the dangers of climate change.
“We cannot talk about electricity today without green power because we have the luck that God gave us some resources and we will see the way we can explore and make it work using this sustainable energy.
“We also have a responsibility to monitor the sector of renewable energy,” Tossou said. (NAN)
