Main purpose of job:

• Monitor developments in the energy sector in South Africa in the Key Areas below by – engaging with key stakeholders including development partners e.g. GIZ, Danish Energy Agency, multilaterals such as African Development Bank, World Bank and with private sector energy developers, financiers, government – Necom, MoEE, National Treasury, NERSA, Energy Council and other industry bodies. Attending International Partner Group technical working group meetings -building trusted relationships with key stakeholders to provide insight and intelligence. Reviewing original and third-party comments on key draft policy and review documents, codes and regulations in the Key Areas below e.g. for creation of the Network Service Operator, Market Operator, market rules, pricing, tariffs. Produce notes and emails on meetings, notes on a regular monthly update on key news and developments, chair and feed into donor coordination meetings and meetings with SA Government and others.
• Produce detailed written commentary and insight (of own volition – not just summarising others’ comments which may or may not exist or be comprehensive) for the UK and IPG on key documents and codes and regulations. Draw international comparisons
• Research situation in SA and elsewhere on a stance, policy or sector and provide timely and insightful reporting and critique for other development partners, SA Government and/or colleagues in the High Commission and the UK.
• Advise UK ODA programmes in the energy sector and Department for Business and Trade, focussing on the Key Areas below, identifying areas of need for capacity building, commenting on evidence and value for money of what works/doesn’t and how to structure implementation, key deliverables. Draft Terms of Reference or Task orders where relevant
• Review and comment on key deliverables by development implementing partners (especially UK ODA implementing partners) in the Energy Sector Key areas
• Monitor delivery partners’ performance and support and the UK and IPG’s performance and support via monitoring and evaluation frameworks such as log frames or indicator analysis.

Energy Sector Key Areas:

Transmission – private and public funded, national and interconnectors. Transmission tariffs.

Wholesale Liberalised Market development and management – in South Africa and the Southern Africa Power Pool, including aggregators and trading, wheeling and cost of use and relative tariffs.

Network services balancing arrangements

Generation – Integrated Resources Plan, capacity market arrangements under the Electricity Regulation Amendment Act and REI4P, investment stages and biases of technologies

Distribution – both at Eskom level and municipalities including reform measures for trading services, billing, collections and technical and commercial loss reduction.

Consumer Pricing – including tariff structures, time of use tariffs etc.

Technical rules for connection.

Green hydrogen – viability of different use cases, including export costs, stages of SA investments, start ups, financing availability, government policy. 

Support the rest of the team in consolidating policy reform recommendations, briefings for meetings and inputs for key lines to take, communications and with locations and ideas for visits. Arrange meetings and take minutes of key meetings.

5 -10% of time – provide corporate support to rest of mission in South Africa and other countries (as part of any cadre accreditation)

• Technical competencies similar to those in Climate, Environment, Infrastructure and Energy (CEIE) Technical Competency Framework – GOV.UK
• Especially one or more of the following:- I&U competency 2 (Infrastructure delivery and impacts), Energy Competency 2 (Transition) and Energy Specialisms (particularly power sector reform)