Integrated Resource Plan reviewed
The National Integrated Resource Plan (NIRP) came under review earlier this month when the Electricity Control Board hosted energy stakeholders in the capital. The Integrated Resource Plan has been defined in an Electricity Control Board document as a master plan for the electricity supply industry.
Presenting the Integrated Resource Plan was Dr. Robert Griesbach, a project consultant with Hatch, the firm tasked to facilitate the drafting of the plan. Setting the context for the Integrated Resource Plan, Griesbach said, “many [power] projects are poised to come in, particularly renewables.”
The National Integrated Resource Plan will, according to Griesbach, assess the full range of development options that could meet future customer requirements and compare these on an objective basis using accepted analytical methods. A completed NIRP will provide information on the size and the type and timing of projects needed in the electricity supply industry. Said Griesbach, “the White Paper of 1998 on Energy will be maintained as a framework.”
According to Griesbach, the Electricity Control Board is currently undertaking policy reviews which include providing Support to the Energy Policy Committee to Review and update the White Paper on Energy Policy, aiding in the development of a Renewable Energy Policy, and reviewing and updating the Independent Power Producer and Investment Market Framework.
Griesbach identified a series op options which include the recently shelved Kudu power project, the Baynes hydro power project, a series of coal fired power stations, liquified nitrogen gas power stations, as well as a range of renewable power options.
The new plan will also look at demand management options and this would include LED lights, solar water heaters as well as smart meters amongst others while reducing the amount of electricity imported from NamPower’s supply partners.
By the end of March next year, Hatch will have carried out a range of activities and this will include updating the load forecast, defining expansion scenarios and holding a training workshop.
