In Accra, West African energy operators and regulators will gather to discuss recent changes in the local market.

The ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA) and the Department of Communication announced that the three-day meeting will begin on September 26 and end on September 28.

ERERA is anticipated to establish the enabling regulatory framework that will aid in accelerating the development of the regional electricity market with the impending introduction of the second phase of the regional energy market.

The experts would, among others, consider the Detailed Rules and Procedures for Market Surveillance as a guide to provide transparent procedures and processes to monitor the regional electricity market.

The Market Surveillance Rules would specify the roles to be played by national regulatory authorities, Transmission Service Operators and System and Market Operators.

This is to ease effective monitoring of the market and prevent abuse and distortions and sanction defaulters, the statement noted.

The draft Market Surveillance Rules include draft Guidelines for Market Surveillance of ECOWAS Regional Electricity Market, analysis of Existing Bi-lateral Contracts for Conformity with Model Bi-lateral Agreement.

The draft also has the ECOWAS Market Documents, as well as the Report on Definition and Revision of the Detailed Rules and Procedures for Market Surveillance.

It said the meeting would also review the Gap Analysis Report of a recent study, which was related to the Functional Model on System Reliability and Electricity Market for the ECOWAS Electricity Market.

Again, the regional experts would review the draft rules for the Harmonisation of Licensing Criteria for the Regional Electricity Market, the statement noted.

The harmonised framework for granting of licenses and authorisations for participation in the power market includes guidelines for grant of export and import licenses for cross-border power trading in ECOWAS countries and a model export and import licenses for adoption by Member States.

According to ERERA’s documents, a harmonised licensing framework would provide the regulatory tools that will help regulators keep an oversight of the market and help ensure that licensing does not restrict entry by players into the regional electricity market.

The participants at the meeting would be updated on the ECOWAS Directive on the Organization of the Regional Electricity Market, with emphasis on the drafting of national roadmaps.