The German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has commissioned the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) to implement the project "Green Agenda: Decarbonization of the Electricity Sector in the Western Balkans (WB)".
This regional project focuses on building competencies and providing up-to-date knowledge on innovative technological solutions for the electricity sector in the WB. Technological progress is amplified by enhancing the regulatory framework for an increased use of Reneable Energies (RE). In addition, the project aims to create the basic awareness for the need to establish appropriate education and training opportunities for a RE based energy transition among the relevant organizations.
Within this context, the project seeks consultancy services to implement various analytical assignments in the sphere of energy-economic research, strategy consultancy, regulatory adaption of RE tools and technological innovations to manage large shares of RE feed-in in the distribution and transmission grids of the WB region.
The German cooperation in electricity sector together with the countries of the Western Balkans (WB) in the regional project "Green Agenda: Decarbonisation of the Elecricity Sector of the Western Balkans" has been commisisioned by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) to the Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in 2022. As political partner, the regional project is anchored at the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) as well as it strongly cooperates with WB authorities responsible for the energy sector.
The objective of the project is to increase the demand by WB energy actors for technological, regulatory and human resources solutions for the implementation of an environmentally and climate-friendly energy transition has increased.
Most of the electricity in the Western Balkans (WB) is generat-ed by large coal-fired power plants (THPs) accounting for more than 50% of regional CO2 emissions; many of those were built more than 40 years ago. Given their poor technical condition and lack of modernisation, THP fleet of WB is particularly a dirty air polluter, threatening human and fauna habitats and the nationally determined contributions to the reduction goals to ease global warming as set out in the Paris Agreement. Positive potential for development for a full-scale energy transition based on renewable energy (RE) in the WB is framed by strong collective aspirations for EU accession. WB countries intercon-nectivity is based on fruitful geospatial and climate conditions and historical interconnectivity of the power grids. The WB energy transition goes hand in hand with the decentralisation of power generation infrastructure and should broaden the coun-tries" energy resilience by a large diversity of energy actors, new jobs and investment opportunities, endorsed by solid public ownership.
Within this context, the project seeks to commission a consultancy firm/a consortium of firms to provide technological solutaions and regulatory advisory to key project beneficiaries such as energy regulators, grid operators or energy service companies by various analytical assignments in the sphere of energy-economic research, strategy consultancy, regulatory adaption of RE tools and technological innovations. The commissioned activities should overall assist energy actors to manage larger shares of RE feed-in in the distribution and transmission grids of the WB region.
As a regional project, the focus is on providing fundamental knowledge that is of equal importance for as many as possible of the WB countries. The transfer of universally relevant knowledge on energy transition shall accelerate the demand for country-specific further elaboration, detailing and implementation of solutions. Corresponding in-depth support subsequently may be complemented by other projects of the development partners" community, especially within the framework of specific bilateral development measures and public/private macro-financial investors.