Latest Publications

EMRC and the Energy Training Centre will be running 3 online training courses in February:

- Understanding Service Reflective Tariffs, 16th Feb 2021

- Understanding Mini-Grids, 17th Feb 2021

- Understanding PPA, 18th Feb 2021

EMRC’s Chibueze Ekeh, Onyinye Anene-Nzelu and Ivie Ehanmo will facilitate the courses. For more information and to sign up follow this link

Rahila Thomas and her team presented the 1st edition of EMRC’s webinar series, focusing on current issues and trends in the Nigerian Electricity Market. The webinars will become a monthly event. For more information and to secure a place on the next webinar contact rahila.thomas@energy-mrc.com.

We are delighted to announce EMRC's Onyinye Anene-Nzelu has been awarded the Association of Energy Engineers, Sub-Saharan Africa, Young Energy Professional of the year.Well done Onyinye from all of us at EMRC and the MRC Group!

Douglas Caskie, CEO of EMRC,  participated in a webinar series titled “Derisking PPA and Leasing Agreements in Displacement Settings” hosted by The Global Plan of Action for Sustainable Energy Solutions in Situations of Displacement (GPA). EMRC’s report on the topic, which was funded by Shell International BV, can be accessed via this link

Rahila Thomas will take part in a Facebook live event, organised by the Nigeria Electricity Hub, to explore the link between mini-grid developers and distribution companies, who have indicated their willingness to engage with developers as eligible customers. Join the discussion at the 50th Power Dialogue on Wednesday the 23rd of September, 2020 by following the link

EMRC are delighted to be hosting a number of online training courses with the Energy Training Institute (www.etc.ng)

Understanding Mini Grids will take place on Friday 7th August 2020, 10am – 3pm

Participants will gain an understanding of how Mini Grids can be used as a solution to inadequate power supply.

To find out more and register for this event go to bit.ly/etc_umg

EMRC are delighted to be hosting a number of online training courses with the Energy Training Institute (www.etc.ng)

The first course is Understanding Service Reflective Tariffs on Thursday 30th July 2020, 10am – 3pm.

Participants will gain an understanding of the key parameters used in deriving electricity tariffs and the factors that can affect them.

To find out more and register for this event go to bit.ly/etc_usrt

EMRC are delighted to be hosting a number of online training courses with the Energy Training Institute (www.etc.ng)

Understanding Procurement of Power and PPAs takes place on Friday 31st July 2020, 10am – 3pm

Participants will gain an understanding of the principal agreements that define Power Purchase Agreements, Power Purchase Structures and the Power Market Value Chain.

To find out more and register for this event go to bit.ly/etc_uppa

Rahila Thomas will host a webinar, in collaboration with the Energy Training Centre (ETC), on Understanding Service Reflective Tariffs and their Impact on the Nigerian Economy. The webinar takes place on Tuesday 23rd June from 2-3.30 pm (WAT). More information can be found in the attached flyer. 

Chibueze Ekeh was Moderator for the February edition of the Power Dialogue which was organised by the Nigerian Electricity Hub. More photos can be viewed by following the link

Chibueze Ekeh attended the 2019 Nigeria Energy Future Conference in Lagos in November where he delivered a presentation on Opportunities and Risks in Electricity Sub-franchising in Nigeria.

Follow the link to listen to Rahila Thomas speak on Channels Television on NERC and Remittance Levels 

Interview with Rahila Thomas

Rahila Thomas is the Nigeria Electricity Hub November Dialogue data super star! Follow the link for more information Nigeria Electric Hub

MRC Group had their 17th meeting in Rome. The 9 member companies are currently working in more than 27 countries around the World and are delivering projects in 7 different languages across 5 sectors: electricity, gas, renewables, water and district heating. The capabilities of the Group continue to expand including in June 2019, the acquisition by MRC Spain of Adalid Asesores y Consultores (ADAYC), a specialist practise in solar engineering, led by their Director, Santiago Mirabal.

The undergrid minigrid market in Nigeria is a huge, untapped opportunity. Thousands of communities could benefit, as well as electricity distribution companies. Read our latest report, Electrifying the Underserved, to learn about the critical decision points required to implement undergrid minigrids.

Rahila Thomas talks to HEIR about young women in the power sector. Follow the link to find out more about Rahila's career. Interview with Rahila Thomas

Douglas Caskie attended the Africa Energy Forum in Lisbon from 11-14th June. The Forum brings together decision-makers in Africa's energy sector to form partnerships, identify opportunities and collectively move the industry forward. aef has a loyal following of credible players working in the power space, and a track record of delivering a valuable networking experience.

Alice Waltham is in Tanzania delivering training to mini-grid developers and utility regulator on the use of "Excel-based Off Grid Cost of Service and User Charge Analysis Tool". The tool, designed by MRC Group, is designed to be highly flexible to support both policy makers and private developers in setting user charges.

EMRC attended the Benin Electricity Distribution Company 2019 Retreat Programme. During the retreat we facilitated a session on Global Industry Review and the Outlook for 2019. Participants at the retreat interacted to develop relevant plans for effective business operations in the future.

Chibueze Ekeh, Patricia Mong and Damilola Oluwole recently carried out some training with Ibadan and Eko Electricity Distribution Companies. Training included Understanding Regulation, Understanding MYTO and Understanding Grid Augmentation (Embedded Generation and Mini-Grids).

Damilola and Chibueze attended the Project East Africa Conference in Uganda on 20-21st March. This years conference focussed on the financing of power projects and energy infrastructure throughout the East African trade block, as Africa’s most rapidly expanding economy and number one energy investment destination.

Rahila Thomas delivered a paper to Enugu Electricity Distribution Company on energy theft. For more information contact rahila.thomas@energy-mrc.com

Rahila Thomas featured in an interesting article on leading women in the Nigerian Power Sector. Follow the link to read the full article.

EMRC were co-authors on a report 'Under the Grid' which was led by the Rocky Mountain Institute. The report looks at ways to improve the economics and reliability of rural electricity service with undergrid minigrids. Download a copy of the report via the following link https://rmi.org/insight/under-the-grid

Alice Waltham contributed to the review on Publicy Ownded Energy Company (POEC). Follow this link to access the review. 

MRC Group were engaged by the Lesotho Electricity and Water Authority (LEWA) to deliver Cost of Service Study Tariff (COSST) model training for LEWA, Lesotho Electricity Corporation (LEC) and the Department of Energy (DoE). The aim of the training was the building of an understanding in users of the COSST model and how to apply it and ensure users learn to operate the model effectively. Our training experts assisted appointed LEWA, LEC and DoE trainees to become COSST model experts that will be available as trainers to pass on their knowledge in years to come. Such training is intended to form the foundation for LEWA to undertake the determination of LEC’s tariffs for 2018/19 and beyond.

Rahila Thomas recently attended the Africa Energy Forum in Mauritius. The Forum was used as a launch event for the Electricity Regulatory Index (ERI) Report, launched by AfDB. Following on from the Energy Forum, Rahila was invited by AfDB to attend the first Africa Energy Market Place meeting in Abidjan to be part of developing a pathway to address the power situation in five African countries. 

EMRC co-authors a journal paper with the University of Edinburgh on power rationing in a long-term power shortage (Energy Policy). We develop methods to quantify the trade-off between maximising the total amount of power delivered and distributing the available power in a fairer way. We apply our methods to a case study of the Nigerian Power system and analyse the Pareto frontiers between efficiency and fairness. We show that current Nigerian policies reduce the total amount of power delivered by up to 5%. Please contact louise.thomson@energy-mrc.com for more details.

Rahila Thomas attended the second edition of the Business Day Future of Energy series. This series was conceptualised to drive discourse and dialogue on current issues and future trends in Nigeria’s power sector with the aim of proffering recommendations, insights and innovative solutions that will not only unlock growth and investment opportunities in the industry, but also ensure the growth and development of the nation’s economy. 

Rahila Thomas will attend the Energy Africa Forum in Mauritius from 19-22nd June. The Africa Energy Forum (AEF) is the global investment meeting for Africa’s power, energy, infrastructure and industrial sectors. Now in its 20th year, AEF brings together senior decision-makers active in Africa's energy sector to form partnerships, identify opportunities and collectively move the industry forward. AEF has a loyal following of credible players working in the power space, and a track record of delivering a valuable networking experience. Contact rahila.thomas@energy-mrc.com for more details. 

The team from EMRC in Abuja and Edinburgh met in Edinburgh in May. During the 3 day event the team participated in training sessions and discussed future strategy for EMRC. The meeting was an ideal opportunity for both teams to share their views on the future direction of the company and also to enjoy some social time together!

Tom Jardine and Dan Eager were presenting at the final stakeholder workshop in Lesotho as part of the Cost of Service and Tariff Study. The study showed that the recent grid expansion in Lesotho has coincided with reducing average consumption per residential customer. These findings can be used by the regulator to justify the need to develop policies to stimulate Private sector companies to provide off-grid solar PV technology as an alternative cost-effective means to achieve electrification.

MRC has recently been appointed to develop a conceptual framework and decision-making tool for designing user charges for off-grid energy solutions and determining appropriate subsidization/incentive in Tanzania. It is designed to support policy makers and regulators in creating a level playing field for services supplied by off-grid solutions vs. the central grid, thereby supporting the broader objective of scaling up energy access in Tanzania.