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Technical Expert

Somali Electricity Access Project (SEAP)

Ministry of Energy and Minerals, Republic of Somaliland

1. Background

The Ministry of Energy and Minerals is establishing a Project Implementation Unit (PIU) to carry out the day to day activities of project planning, coordination and implementation of the Somali Electricity Access Project (SEAP). The Ministry intends to engage a consultant to work as a Technical Expert for the Ministry. These Terms of Reference define the scope of activities and responsibilities of the Technical Expert.

2. Project Overview

The Republic of Somaliland has secured a grant from the World Bank to implement SEAP. The project development objective of SEAP is to expand access to electricity in targeted urban, peri-urban, and rural communities.

SEAP consists of three components:

Component 1: Electrification of households and small businesses through standalone solar home systems

This component aims to reduce market barriers for the private sector to provide modern energy access through solar home systems and targets: (i) poorer households and small businesses in areas that cannot afford to connect to mini-grid services; (ii) households and businesses in these areas that are not sufficiently close to a mini-grid to be economically connected; (iii) isolated villages and smaller settlements where mini-grids do not make economic sense; and (iv) nomadic pastoralists whose livelihoods do not lend themselves to a fixed electricity connection.

The component will fund the following market-building supply- and demand-side interventions: (i) Expansion Grants, both in the form of seed grants and result-based financing to help capital-constrained off-grid solar distributors expand their operations  (the Expansion Grant will be managed by a separately recruited Grant Manager); (ii) consumer awareness campaigns on the benefits of solar technology and the importance of quality in household solar devices; and (iii) enhanced quality assurance and technical standards to reduce market spoilage from low-grade imitation products.

Component 2: Analytic work for enabling electrification through Solar Powered / Hybrid Mini-grids

This component will support the mini-grid sector in Somaliland, and is expected to include the following activities: (i) detailed geospatial mapping; (ii) review of property rights and land issues pertaining to energy infrastructure investment; (iii) pre-feasibility studies for mini-grid hybridization; (iv) pre-feasibility studies for greenfield (new) sites identified in geospatial mapping; (v) developing structuring options for the financing, operation, and ownership of new mini-grids; and (vi) defining legal, institutional and financing arrangements for developing mini-grids.

 Component 3: Technical Assistance, Capacity Building and Project Management

This component will support a range of activities to strengthen the capacity of the Ministry to perform overall energy sector management and power and access planning, as well as support for project management/implementation, including staffing of the PIU.

3. Scope of Work for the Technical Expert (TE)
   • Objective of the Assignment

The Technical Expert is to provide technical support to the Government in the implementation of SEAP. The Technical Expert is expected to support the implementation of all electrification (Component 1), mini-grid analytical (Component 2), and capacity building (Component 3) activities.

• Responsibilities

Working closely with the Ministry of Energy and Minerals, as well as the selected Grant Manager and least cost geo-spatial electrification planning firm.

The responsibilities of the Technical Expert will include:

1. Monitoring the technical appropriateness of household solar devices deployed under the Expansion Grant to the Somaliland context and the objectives of SEAP;

1. Monitoring compliance of household solar devices with appropriate quality assurance standards such as IEC or Lighting Global;

1. Overseeing the technical aspects of the consumer awareness campaign, e.g. working with the consumer awareness consultant to ensure technical accuracy of awareness campaign materials and appropriateness for Somaliland context;

1. Working closely with the independent verification agent (IVA) on technical aspects of verification for results-based financing (e.g. reviewing IVA verification methodology and reporting);

1. Providing technical guidance and support to solar distributors as necessary;

1. Providing technical support on all mini-grid analytical activities, including procurement of relevant consultants as well as review of consultant outputs such as pre-feasibility studies and technical reports;

1. Providing technical support on all capacity building activities, including procurement of relevant consultants as well as review of training materials, curricula, etc.

1. Contributing to PIU reporting requirements to the Government and the World Bank as needed, preparing timely and concise written documents in both Somali and English;

1. Supporting the Project Coordinator in all other technical aspects of the project and relevant assignments as directed by the Project Coordinator.

• Assignment Location

The Technical Expert will be based at the PIU at Ministry of Energy and Minerals Headquarters in Hargeisa.

• Time frame and Reporting

The expected duration of the consultancy is one year, with possibility of contract extension subject to satisfactory performance. The assignment is expected to commence in October 2019. The consultant will report to the Project Coordinator of the Ministry of Energy and Minerals.

4. Qualifications and Experience Requirements

The candidate should have the following desired qualifications and experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Energy, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Power Engineering or Renewable Energy.
• Understanding of Somaliland’s unique context.
• Fluency in oral and written Somali and English.
• Readiness to work in multi-cultural and fast – paced environment meeting tight deadlines.
• Reputable person with good ethical and moral character.
• At least 2 years of experience in working with public institution.
• familiarity in working with international development partners and NGOs that deal with the Somaliland energy sector.
• Strong knowledge of Electrical AutoCAD, MATLAB, ETAP, POWER WORLD, AUTOMATION STUDIO, HOMER energy, PLC, C++ software

5. Selection Method

The consultant selection will follow the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for Investment Projects Financing (IPF) Borrowers for Individual Consultants.