Capacity Building for Renewable Energy Auctions in Arab Countries

The Pan-Arab Clean Energy Initiative (PACE), one of the initiatives included in the Roadmap of Actions for the implementation of the Pan-Arab Sustainable Energy Strategy 2014-2030, endorsed by the 4th Arab Economic and Social Development Summit in Beirut in January 2019, is a regional initiative that aims to promote the integration of greater shares of renewables into power systems of the Arab region. IRENA has engaged with the League of Arab States (LAS), the regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE) and other key regional partners in the design and development of the PACE initiative and its attached Action Plan.

In this regard, renewable energy auctions are becoming an increasingly popular mechanism for the procurement of renewable electricity, notably due to their ability to reveal competitive prices and their flexible design which allows for their adaptation to country-specific contexts and objectives. IRENA has served as a global reference for renewable energy auctions since 2012, when the agency produced its first study on auctions, Renewable Energy Auctions in Developing Countries. In 2015, IRENA released Renewable Energy Auctions: A Guide to Design which has advised policy makers on various approaches to auction design and Renewable Energy Auctions: Analysing 2016 which analysed the factor impacting the prices resulting from auctions.

As a result, and within the framework of the PACE Initiative, IRENA, in collaboration with its partners, has organized a two day capacity building workshop to share IRENA’s framework and insights regarding renewable energy auctions, and considerations, best practices, lessons learnt and specific case studies, with a focus on the Arab context. Participants discussed the design elements and the tradeoffs that need to be considered while making each choice. The workshop provided participants the opportunity to participate in interactive discussions with the presenters.

Closed event (by invitation only)