On Tuesday 32 individuals from the energy policy and production sectors, completed NER’s course in power production planning and energy trading, in Addis Ababa.  The course is part of the Nordic Energy Solutions project, one of the six Nordic Solutions to Global Challenges flagship projects.  It was organised in collaboration with the Royal Norwegian Embassy, and the Embassy of Sweden.

The two-day course aimed to meet locally defined needs for capacity-building in the electricity grid. It also serves as an introduction to a 2 week “internship” course to take place in Denmark in March 2019, which is being implemented by Energinet.dk.

Professional experts with high domain experience from the energy sector ran the two-day course, and offered an introduction to how a well-functioning power system can be achieved. The main focus was on hydropower and how it can balance power systems for optimal use of variable renewable energy resources. The program consisted of both theoretical and interactive sessions and gave insights into different renewable power systems around the world. The course also included a segment on gender aspects related to energy access and planning. 

Participants expressed appreciation for the course and confirmed that the theme was very relevant for the present and future development of the Ethiopian energy sector. The question was even raised as to whether such a course could be brought to the local policy makers and hydro plant managers based outside Addis Ababa.