Energy Losses Reduction Expert

AECOM International Development
Palestinian Renewable Energy Project
Contract No. AID-294 -TO- 16-00006
 

SCOPE OF WORK

Job Title: Energy Losses Reduction Expert
Project: Palestinian Renewable Energy Project, Contract No. AID-294 -TO- 16-00006
Job Classification: Short-term, locally/regionally hired professional
Reporting to: Senior Utilities Commercialization & Institutional Capacity Building Advisor
Level of Effort (LOE): 100 days
Estimated Start Date: On/about July 23, 2017
Estimated Length of Assignment: 1 year, with anticipated follow-up work
Location: Ramallah, West Bank

Background

USAID’s Palestinian Renewable Energy Project (PREP) aims to advance the Palestinian energy sector to support affordable and sustainable energy independence in the West Bank and Gaza. The project focuses to improve the Palestinian Authority’s efforts to modernize and diversify the Palestinian electricity sector. The project focuses on improving access to and reliability of electrical services by strategically incorporating renewable energy, which will increase the Palestinian Authority’s control of its electrical supply and improve affordability over time.
As part of project components, PREP will strengthen and commercialize the electricity distribution sector to improve collections, increase revenues, and enable uninterrupted payment to supplier. A focus of our working with the Distribution Companies (DISCOs) will also be to increase understanding and knowledge to integrate distributed renewable energy units and administer net metering schemes.

Objectives

The Consultant will assist the targeted DISCOs (Jerusalem District Electricity Company and a second DISCO) to strengthen their commercial operations, as well as develop and implement cost-effective and sustainable loss reduction strategies and activities.

Scope of Work

The consultant shall conduct a baseline performance assessment of the DISCOs, conducting best practice workshops, exploring potential loss reductions solutions, performing loss reductions feasibility studies and recommending potential solutions.
The consultant, in close cooperation with the project’s consultant hired under subcontractor The Kaizen Company, will follow the Human and Institutional Capacity Development (HICD) methodology steps to strengthen commercial operations and reduce losses.

The identified capacity gaps and needs will dictate the focus of each DISCO’s HICD and training plan.

To reduce non-technical losses, the consultant will assist the selected DISCOs in identifying the type and geographic distribution of illegal customers (i.e., refugee, village, poor, etc.).The consultant will work with the selected DISCOs to identify potential solutions, required steps, and any needed incentives to regularize each segment, and to determine areas for improvement based upon a developed criteria that will include the geographic area, customer type and revenue savings potential. DISCOs along with the consultant will determine the best approach to identifying and registering these customers into the DISCO billing system. PREP will advise and monitor the DISCOS as they implement the regularization process. This process will be supported by a public relations campaign to help customers understand the issues and reasons behind the consumer regularization initiative.
As part of an overall loss reduction strategy for DISCOs, an additional approach to commercial loss reduction can be achieved by the installation of additional prepaid/smart meters.  PREP will assist the World Bank Group (WGB) and other donors and DISCOs to establish and implement plans for installation of additional prepaid meters and or smart meters that will contribute to the DISCOs loss reduction strategy. The approach entails working with the World Bank Group and donor groups in assessing the potential in selected areas for the installation of prepaid meters and or smart meters taking into consideration the power sector’s new commercialization requirements.

Tasks

-Evaluate the current state of the selected DISCOs (JDECO and another DISCO to be selected) related to loss reduction understanding and loss reduction needs.
-Identify and finalize loss reduction criteria.
-Conduct and complete evaluations on potential loss reduction initiatives.
-Finalize loss reduction performance improvement initiatives.
-Implement loss reduction performance initiatives including capacity building.
-Review the type and geographic distribution of illegal customers.
-Work closely with DISCOs to identify potential solutions, the required steps, and possible incentives to regularize each segment.
-Assist the DISCOs with launching the regularization of customer.
-Provide additional advisory support to DISCOs to review and establish plans for prepaid/smart metering systems, in order to increase collection rate and revenue.
-Organize the workshops on the non-technical loss reduction strategies, including the discussion of prepaid/smart meter role.
-Work with World Bank Group (WBG) and other donors to identify improvement to prepaid and smart metering programs that can be adopted that will improve loss reduction and improve cost recovery.
-Work with WBG and other donors and DISCOs to develop implementation plans to install additional smart metering systems in accordance with the power sector’s and DISCOs loss reduction targets and cost recovery plans.

Deliverables

The Consultant shall produce:-

-Develop a detailed work plan and time schedule of activities 
-Evaluation report on DISCOs performance related to revenue and loss performance.
-Loss reduction best practice workshops implemented and reported
-Loss reduction initiative criteria developed and finalized.
-Report on non-technical losses and customer demographics
-Report on approaches and required steps to regularize illegal customers
-Potential loss reductions initiatives evaluated and presented to Palestinian Energy and Natural Resources Authority (PENRA) and DISCOs.
-Loss reduction implementation plan finalized including capacity building solution 
-Action plan of the agreed upon approach to regularize illegalize customers
-Interim report on prepaid/smart meter strategy and installation plan  
-Final report on prepaid/smart meter strategy and installation program along with recommendations for improvement lessons learned.


Qualifications

-At least ten years of experience as a utility staff person or an embedded or close expert in a developing country utility with leadership roles in developing policies and implementing activities that improve human resource management, increase collections, reduce losses, and improve customer service and customer relations.
-Demonstrated in-depth knowledge of approaches, systems, and technologies for improving the operational and financial performance of utilities.
-A university and/or college degree in an interdisciplinary subject such as business administration, Engineering, Public Administration, Economics or a related field from an accredited university.
-Ability to work with teams within DISCOs and other stakeholders to ensure the delivery of a high quality product in a timely manner.
-Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English, excellent computer skills, especially Microsoft Office productivity tools (Power Point, Word and Excel).

Time Frame and Level of Effort of the Consultant
The total level of effort of this assignment is up to 100 days, with anticipated follow-up work.

Submission Guidelines:

Qualified applicants should submit a resume and cover letter to
 

[email protected]

no later than July 10, 2017.

Please indicate the name of the position in the subject line. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

 

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