High cost of energy, and sometimes lack thereof, pose huge infrastructure challenges to production and other economic activities in the region. A myriad of efforts is being undertaken to help address, or in the least, minimise its impact on economic activities, development and regional integration. A master plan to generate high energy with more emphasis on renewal energy has therefore been developed. In 2013, ECOWAS developed and adopted a renewal policy which sets target to reach 48% of renewal energy penetration in the global energy needs by 2030. The adopted ECOWAS Power plan for power generation for 2012-2025 has thus been reviewed and revised to run from 2019-2033.

The ECOWAS Commission is collaborating with development partners and ECOWAS Member States to increase sustainable energy services and sources so as to improve the production, distribution and utilisation of energy in the region.

A special fund, FODETE, is being set up in support of the development of energy and transport sectors in the region. Workshops have been held across the region to garner support and solicit input ahead of its approval by the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government for the its establishment.

Electricity

Currently, there are several power generation projects ongoing and they include the following:

A 225 KV OMVG Interconnection Line to connect the power systems of The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau and Senegal commencing in 2018.

450 MW WAPP Domunli Regional Power Generation Facility in Ghana which is aimed at increasing the power generated in the sub-region. WAPP is implementing the project with support from Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) with 2020 projected as the service year.

Pre-investment Studies on a Cote d’Ivoire- Liberia-Sierra Leone-Guinea WAPP interconnection project has been completed.

The 225kv Bobo Dioulasso- Ouagadougou Transmission Line (Burkina Faso) mean to extend power supply from neighboring Cote d’Ivoire to Ouagadougou has been completed with funding from African Development Bank, World Bank, Nordic fund, DANIDA and countries involved.

Gas

As part of the recommendation on the study conducted on the extension of the West Africa Gas Pipeline (WAGP) completed in 2017, a procurement for first phase of the gas network (extension from Ghana to Cote d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso) recommended by the study, has been completed.

The 2017 study concluded that there are substantial gas reserves in Nigeria, Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana enough to satisfy the projected 20-year demand period for ECOWAS Countries.