Browsing by Department "Energy for Development Research Centre"

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    Africa and climate change
    (1996) Eleri, Ewah
    Sub-Saharan Africa's past and present contribution to the build-up of greenhouse gases has been low; the region therefore does not pose a major threat to the global climate. Nonetheless, the occurrence of climate change might pose formidable challenges to already deteriorating conditions of human development in that region. Both national contributions to emissions of greenhouse gases and the presence of considerable size of forest cover as sinks nevertheless vary within Africa. Much remains uncertain as to how climate change will affect Africa; and the probable responses by countries, sub-national actors and external actors to several issues in the regime. The relatively recent emergence of the issue and the uncertainties facing key actors in Africa have limited policy making on climate change. Moreover, since climate has not yet figured as a priority issue area for countries actors, little nuances in differences among countries have emerged. The impact of international measures, rather than the actual occurrence of climate change, might stimulate and define policy-making and the development of strategies on climate change. In the pre-regime formulation stage, the stake and obligations of industrialising countries were, and indeed continue to be, ill-defined. As the threat to national interests was not apparent, state agencies were not adequately mobilised. After the first COP in Berlin, March 1995, we have seen an increasing degree of tangible international decisions. Of importance to African countries is the initiation of the pilot phase of Joint Implementation and the adoption of the Global Environmental Facility as the key financial transfer mechanism. Depending on the volume of financial and technological transfer that industrialised countries are ready to make available, states in Africa are likely to step up activities in wooing investments in energy and land-use sectors. Should post-Berlin developments stimulate demand for emerging markets in the South to set emission reduction targets, an incentive will arise for South Africa and Nigeria to engage in active climate diplomacy. Finally, the integration of climate concerns into development assistance would probably herald the emergence of climate conditionality on debt and aid. This scenario will probably ring the wake up call for most Sub-Saharan countries, and would mark the incorporation of climate politics into mainstream African international economic relations.
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    Electrification financing and tariffs: international literature review
    (1993) Eberhard, Anton; Mountain, Bruce; Pickering, Mark; van Horen, Clive
    This report was commissioned by the National Electrification Forum (NELF}. It is a review of international experience in electricity pricing, funding and financial management. The purpose of the report is to assess how these issues have affected electrification programmes in developing countries and to draw conclusions which will assist NELF in establishing appropriate electricity pricing and financing policies for South Africa. A successful electrification programme which enables widened access to electricity is ultimately dependent on the creation and maintenance of a financially viable electricity distribution industry. Financial viability is, in tum, crucially dependent on appropriate pricing and financing policies and financial management practices. The report is based on an extensive review of international literature. The review of electricity pricing commences with a discussion on pricing policies, the principles of economic efficiency and marginal cost-based prices. Some of the difficulties of this approach are highlighted, and additional, often more pressing, pricing objectives are noted, including the imperative of prices which will allow financial viability and prices which will achieve greater equity. Actual practice in developing countries is then examined with regard to tariff levels and structures. Tariff levels are compared with long run marginal costs, generally being much lower in developing countries. The tariff structures discussed include inclining block, single flat rate, two-part, unmetered and time-of-use tariffs. The question of subsidies is raised as well as the problems of implementing equitable life-line tariffs.