4th SPLAT Africa training for the Continental Power System Master Plan (CMP)

Since 2021, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have been supporting the development of the Continental Power System Masterplan for Africa (CMP). In 2022, IRENA and IAEA conducted three capacity building workshops with the aim to systematically enable the CMP modelling team to design continental power system scenarios using the MESSAGE-SPLAT tool. The CMP programme is led by the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), participated by the four African Power Pools (EAPP, WAPP, CAPP, SAPP) along with COMELEC member utilities and African Union Commission, supported by EU and several other institutions including AfDB, USAID, and GIZ.

IRENA organized the final week-long training as part of the CMP in Kigali, Rwanda on 13 – 17 March 2023. The Kigali training went into deep-dives on continental modelling results developed using the IRENA’s SPLAT-CMP model. Through hands-on exercises, the modelling team scrutinized the sensitivities of the model to critical assumptions such as project delay, hydro variability, uncertainty on fuel prices and technology evolution.

The modelling analysis will be completed in September this year by the CMP modelling team with the support from the IRENA and IAEA team. Alongside the cost-benefit analysis and network modelling that will be performed on the SPLAT model results, the continental master plan (CMP) will be put forward for the Ministerial adoption in 2024. The CMP will provide a blueprint for the African Union’s vision towards Africa Single Electricity Market (AfSEM).

For more information, please contact energyplanningcb@irena.org.