For decades, ESMAP has provided targeted assistance to help governments review, design, and implement energy policies, develop and strengthen institutional capacity, and improve the performance of their energy sectors. 

 

 

ESMAP’s Energy Assessments and Strategies Program leads the bulk of these efforts, working with countries and regions to assist them in their efforts towards developing robust, sustainable energy sectors.

 

 

Most ESMAP activities in this program are implemented by the World Bank’s regional energy units through Annual Block Grant (ABG) funding. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Focus areas include:

 

ESMAP’s work in these areas is designed to take good practices and policies from around the world and adapt them so they can be applied to specific national and regional contexts.  This program also develops modeling tools and toolkits that can be used by energy planners to support decision making in sometimes highly complex environments.

 

This targeted assistance has had a measurable impact on World Bank operations.  ESMAP’s most recent portfolio review estimates that between FY2009 and FY2012, 69 completed activities under the Energy Assessments and Strategies Program, representing about US$15 million in program allocations, influenced a total of US$6.9 billion in World Bank Group lending.  

 

2013 AND BEYOND | NEW INITIATIVES

 

 

 

Full Deployment of META

META will be updated and adapted based on global user feedback and operational experience.  Once it has been field tested, META will be made available on the ESMAP web site and integrated into ESMAP’s suite of tools that includes TRACE, EFFECT, and MACTool.  Training and support on implementing the META tool will be made available to clients as they make decisions about their electricity strategies.

 

 

Report on International Experience with Private Sector Participation in Power Grids

In response to demand from regional clients, ESMAP has launched a study on different approaches to private sector participation in electricity transmission and distribution grids, and the design and implementation challenges of open access to transmission and distribution systems. These two areas are receiving attention from policymakers in the developing world, on account of the substantial investment needs in transmission and distribution, and the growing need to enhance the efficiency of the power sector.

 

 

This work draws on lessons gained from international experience in these areas, along with a closer look at the progress on private participation and open access in five key countries—Brazil, Peru, Turkey, India and the Philippines. The outputs of this study are expected to assist other countries that are looking toward private participation and increased open access as necessary factors for improving the efficiency and reliability of their power sector.

 

 

Study of Electricity Sector Planning in An Era of Increased Risk

The role of system planning and planners is evolving as private sector participation increases; electricity markets develop and as countries begin focusing on low carbon development. In parallel, the range and scale of risks that power sectors have to handle has expanded. To support development of a robust electric power infrastructure, planning needs to take account of system risk and mitigation to get a clearer picture of real costs and benefits. Emerging considerations include fuel price volatility, social and environmental costs and benefits, the risks inherent in new technology, and financing risks.  This work will review the experience of various countries that went through unbundling and reform and how they adapted their electricity system planning approach, the institutional mechanism they chose, how they dealt with risks, and how they integrated their electricity planning with broader national-level low carbon development plans.

 

 

Assessment of Options for Safeguarding the Poor from Potentially Adverse Impacts of Gas and Electricity Sector Reforms

Several countries struggle with electricity tariffs that are well below cost-recovery levels, while facing large investment needs and strong growth in demand.  It is also becoming clear that subsidized tariffs distort incentives for energy efficiency and renewable resources, and impose a fiscal impact on the government. While such pricing reform is critical, there is also a need for social support mechanisms to safeguard the welfare of the poor and the vulnerable. Based on feedback from the Bank's regional energy teams, ESMAP will commence a study to assess policy and institutional options for safeguarding the poor and vulnerable from adverse impacts of tariff increases. This study will also look at impacts and mitigation measures in a gender-disaggregated manner.