Somaliland lacks the clean, affordable and reliable energy required to promote economic development and reduce poverty.
Energy Security & Resource Efficiency in Somaliland Programme (ESRES) has the objective to promote green growth and poverty reduction in Somaliland through increasing access to more affordable and reliable renewable energy services. This choice for renewable energies is based on the premise that green infrastructure investments in fragile states have potentially positive effects on economic development and poverty reduction while at the same time reducing the country’s vulnerability to the negative effects of climate change.
The programme is funded by UK Aid. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) governing the implementation of the ESRES was signed in July 2015 between the Government of Somaliland and the UK Government's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
ESRES is being implemented in two phases:
- ESRES1 (Sep 2015 – Aug 2018)
- ESRES2 (Sep 2018 – Aug 2021)
ESRES1 supported the Ministry of Energy and Minerals (MoEM) to develop the policy and regulatory framework and implemented a pilot to established six hybrid mini-grids that are now fully operational. ESRES1 provided the Business Case assumption that there is not only a high potential for renewable energy generation, but that it works.
ESRES2 will build on that success expanding investment in renewable energy through the Somaliland Renewable Energy Fund (SREF). It may also support the six existing projects to maximise results and will continue to support the MoEM to develop the regulatory framework.
ESRES2 consists of two components:
- Component 1: Improving six existing mini grids.
- Component 2: Design and management of SREF.