The  West African Clean Energy Corridor (WACEC) initiative led by ECREEE with the support of GIZ, mainstreams massive renewable energy integration generation portfolio of member countries. Also, the ECOWAS Master Plan which is being implemented by the WAPP is based on a least-cost planning and due to the lower costs associated with the development of the renewable energy technologies, the Master Plan foresees a transition towards sustainable use of renewable resources. As a result, the region is achieving its energy transition by moving towards a massive integration of especially variable renewable energy sources (vRE), such as solar PV and wind. However, in order to achieve the integration of vRE into the grid, there is the need to guaranttee flexibility of system response to cope with the intermittency of these sources. This calls for the exploration of the use of battery energy storage systems to provide grid services such as frequency regulation, flexible ramping, black start, congestion relief, etc.  

Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are presently gaining a lot of ground in providing alternative grid support and ancillary services. Due to the recent fall in market prices, battery energy storage has increased in competitiveness and could therefore become a valid option to be integrated into the project portfolio of the ECOWAS Master Plan as well as in those of the member countries aiming to increase their renewable energy capacities. 

The general objective of the study is to develop a least cost investment plan for battery energy storage systems to support the implementation of the ECOWAS Master Plan and the elaboration of regulatory and environmental frameworks to accompany the implementation of BESS projects in the regional interconnected grid. 

Completed

• Validation of data collected at regional and national levels,
• Draft due diligence report on regulatory framework submitted,
• Draft due diligence report on Environmental framework submitted,
• Draft grid models 2025 and 2030 submitted

Ongoing

• Validation workshop of drafts due diligence reports on regulatory and environmental framework, November 20 to 25, 2023,
• Submission of least cost investment Plan and Grid Models, in December 2023
• Validation workshop of least cost investment Plan and Grid Models, February 2024,
• Validation workshop of regulatory and environmental final reports, March 2024,
• Capacity Building session on BESS, March 2025

Under Preparation

• Carry out the study at national levels,
• Support BESS project promoters in ECOWAS member states,
• Implement the regulatory framework at national levels,
• Mobilizing funds for BESS projects implementation.

Output 1: A least cost investment plan for BESS to support the implementation of the 2019-2033 ECOWAS Master Plan for the Development of Regional Power Generation and Transmission Infrastructure is developed;  

Output 2: Regional regulatory and institutional framework including business model for the development of utility-scale BESS in the WAPP system, based on the WAPP regional interconnected grid, is elaborated;  

Output 3: The regional environmental framework for the deployment and management of the end-of-life of utility-scale BESS is developed;  

Output 4: Training is conducted for stakeholders in ECOWAS countries where a BESS project is developed. 

Promoting a Climate-friendly Energy Market in West Africa (ProCEM II)