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| Full project description Background Project
Objectives and Activities
These sub-projects aim to strengthen existing networks while favouring the creation of new relations between stakeholders. Partners
Involved The
Organisational Structure of MEDREP A key factor in reaching these objectives may be considering the positive role of tradable renewable Certificates (TRECs) and certified emission reductions (CERs) derived from clean development mechanism (CDM) projects, or similar approaches, in the promotion of the private sector initiatives. The programme will be guided by a Steering Committee, initially composed of one representative from each country-partner and national agencies, ADEME, IEA, ISES ITALY, MEDENER, OME, REC, UNEP and the World Bank. New partners will be invited to take part in the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee, chaired by IMET, will meet twice a year to:
The Steering Committee will coordinate the activities of the multilateral partners. Tasks
of the Partners ADEME: cooperation with UNEP on financial aspects and project preparation/submission under the UNEP umbrella; cooperation in the operational activities of the Mediterranean Renewable Energy Centre (MEDREC) particularly in the fields of renewable energy resource assessment, large scale integration of renewables in the building sector and on the electricity grids; support given on project financing on the basis of a project portfolio in close relation with project developers; support to other partners towards the regionalisation of MEDREP. IEA: identification of policies and institutional barriers to be overcome for the opening of markets based on the review of feasibility studies for real projects; advisory role to the country-partners to evaluate and advise on appropriate policy frameworks in order to facilitate the diffusion of renewable energies, including TRECs. ISES ITALY: facilitate communication and dissemination of information among potential Italian and international industrial partners and assist in the identification of Italian and international investors; serve as an information centre and observatory for the energy renewable scene, focused on Italy; development of the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) programme; technical support to MEDREP Secretariat; provide a web portal on RE to serve as a clearing house mechanism in order to facilitate the participation of partners/investors in the implementation of projects in the region. MEDENER: development of finalised R&D activity, counselling for suitable policy frameworks in the host countries and seeking and encouraging the possibility of regionalisation of the programme. OME: assistance to the technical director of MEDREC, submission of proposals to European calls for funding in the area of the Sixth Framework Programme for R&D, MEDA, II and SMAP programmes; capacity building, preparation of a pilot projects portfolio and identification of industrial partners and local implementing partners in the South Mediterranean region; contribution to the dissemination of results; cooperation with IEA on policy and institutional issues and cooperation with UNEP on financial aspects. MEDREC will be the main base for these activities. REC: preparation of a pilot projects portfolio and identification of industrial partners and local implementing partners in Central Eastern European Countries; training centre for Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (EECCA) countries, including Turkey, similarly to, and in cooperation with, MEDREC. UNEP: identification and development of financing sources and mechanisms’ options for the projects financial support, also on the basis of a study on the availability of financing and possible investments, the opportunities for development of renewable energy projects in the region and the assessment of barriers to improved financial flows to renewable energy companies. THE WORLD BANK: assistance in project-designing in order to facilitate their eligibility and evaluation of the possibility to co-finance the CDM-eligible projects through the Community Development Carbon Fund (CDCF) and the Italian Carbon Fund (ICF). The Mediterranean Renewable Energy Centre (MEDREC) in Tunis On January 26, 2004, the Tunisian Ministry for Industry and Energy and the Agence Nationale des Energies Renouvelables signed a Memorandum of Understanding for establishing a centre for training, information dissemination, networking and development of pilot projects in the field of renewable energies (MEDREC) in Tunis. The centre focuses on the sector of wind and solar energy. Those sectors related to mini-hydro, geothermal, biomass and fuel-cells will also be considered. The objectives of the centre are the deployment of financing sources and mechanisms’ options for the financial support of renewable energie (RE) projects; the development of regional competence in the field of RE; the dissemination of information in different sectors; the development of pilot projects and transfer of technology in the field of RE; and the implementation of the efficiency of RE systems. The centre is managed by a technical director designated by ANER and assisted by two deputy directors, one designated by IMET and the other by OME. The technical staff will be composed by nine experts: five experts, one for each of the following countries of the Northern Africa region, namely Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia, two experts from Italy, and two experts from UNEP. In the framework of MEDREP, the centre will play the role of reference point for the programmes carried out by the partners. IMET will support the initiative with a total contribution for the year 2004 of EUR 1,005,000. In the following years the financial contribution of human resources and office rental of EUR 205,000 will be annually allocated for the entire duration of the agreement. Further financial contributions for the development of the pilot projects identified and approved by the Steering Committee, will be annually allocated on the basis of the working programme.
Future Projects And Activities Future projects are aimed at:
These pilot, innovative projects will be a “catalogue” of best practices to be replicated, increasing the share of RE options available through already feasible RE power plants like wind farm, biomass co-combustion and hydro-plants. At present, the area benefiting from MEDREP pilot projects is being enlarged to include all countries of the North Africa region and the involvement of the other Mediterranean country-partners will start in the second half of 2004. Based on the assessment carried out on barriers to investment in three countries in the region (Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt), two financing mechanism projects will be developed. Guarantee Facility in Morocco The loan guarantee facility would promote the possibility for photovoltaic operators to access short-term loans to finance their working capital needs, through a number of in-country guarantee agencies and local banks, and for the photovoltaic companies to finance their next phase of growth and work implementation, enabling them to establish a track record of profits and debt service, thereby allowing for increased borrowing capabilities. The impact will increase as financial institutions build confidence and begin to expand lending to the photovoltaic sector. Interest Rate Subsidy Facility in Tunisia Providing an Interest Rate Subsidy Facility will allow partner banks to offer loans to customers at concessional interest rates. The facility would promote a competitive market for SWH by offering an interest rate subsidy through a number of local banks for SWH consumer credit loans. |
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Home Renewable Energy and Efficiency • MEDREP • Energy Efficiency in Small and Medium Size Enterprises |
    
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