Renewable Energy Power Expert Job at Nexant

Nexant is a globally recognized software, consulting and services leader that provides innovative solutions to utilities, energy enterprises, chemical companies and government entities worldwide. Founded in 2000 and headquartered in San Francisco, Nexant and its 650+ employees work from 32 global offices providing deep technical expertise and regional knowledge to improve customer engagement, boost operational efficiency, reduce costs and achieve superior business results.

Job Title:  Renewable Energy Power Expert
 

About the Job
Nexant seeks a Renewable Energy Power Expert to serve as a long-term resident in Abuja, Nigeria for the Power Africa Transactions & Reforms Program (PATRP), the contractor enabling partner for the US Government’s Power Africa Initiative in sub-Saharan Africa. This $64 million, 5 year technical assistance project is designed to bring more electricity to sub-Saharan African via a deal / transaction-centered approach. The Power Africa initiative seeks to shift the typical international development paradigm to a transaction?centered approach that provides host country governments in sub-Saharan Africa, the private sector, and international donor agencies with a focal point to galvanize collaboration around priority electricity generation, transmission, and distribution transactions--with a focus on those that involve private sector participation and finance--helping to bring them to financial close and on?line in an expedited time frame.
Nigeria is a priority country for Power Africa. While renewable energy is a very important part of that country’s energy mix, it has not been emphasized. Renewable energy has considerable potential in Nigeria, and in particular could bridge the major energy gaps in rural areas. The scale of opportunities is only just becoming apparent as new grid technologies, such as concentrated solar power, are emerging as in competitors with conventional power generation. Changes in technology also mean that solar, wind, and other forms of renewable power, with the appropriate type of financing, could bring transformational change to household energy needs. The country needs to formulate a comprehensive framework to create a realistic, credible, and clearly defined long-term strategy to grow its renewable energy capabilities, including developing an integrated renewable energy plan and associated investment, reinforcing its existing initiatives by developing both an integrated renewable energy plan and a systematic major increase in investment in research, market development, and regulation of renewable energy. The country’s regulatory authority also needs capacity building assistance to improve its organizational structures, policies, and procedures--including its oversight and regulatory capacity--over the renewable energy space.

Duties and Responsibilities 
Renewable Energy Resources

• Provide assistance with resource estimation, including examining and ranking primary locations of renewable energy
• Establish and/or manage a system for data management and analysis
• Advise on the management of national renewable energy resources using databases, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), decision tools, and data analysis
• Recommend improvements to and costs of additional renewable energy infrastructure
• Examine local markets and uses for renewable energy, including the tariff that can be obtained

Technical Issues

• Review existing grid connected renewable energy integration strategy/program, planning methodology for renewable energy projects etc.
• Perform preliminary due diligence on intermittent and base load renewable power plants under consideration, including their technical, environmental, community/social strengths, weaknesses and commercial viability
• Assess and discuss critical design, interconnection, integration issues with grid connected variable renewable power plants

Tenders

• Review and appraise current policy, regulation, planned capacity, and the enabling environment to attract more IPPs and private sector investment into the renewable energy power sector
• Develop policies and procedures to promote fair and open competition in awarding of licenses and transparency in contracting
• Assist the government conduct fair and open bidding processes, including determining sale terms and conditions and proper evaluation of bid adequacy
• Conduct preliminary due diligence as per Power Africa procedures on any priority transactions included in the pipeline of future renewable energy power projects contemplated by the government, and develop a screening framework, in collaboration with the government and other Transaction Advisors, which can be used to evaluate, rank, and prioritize the transactions

Renewable Energy Policy, Laws, & Regulations 

• Assist in developing national renewable energy policies and laws
• Advise on international best practices with respect to legal, policy, and regulatory regimes governing the renewable energy sector
• Provide assistance in regulatory management and oversight

Health, Safety, & Environment (HSE)

• Provide environmental management expertise and built capacity in host country institutions to effectively deal with environmental issues
• Assist and provide advice on environmental analyses, which included the following—(i) environmental and social impact assessments, (ii) onshore and offshore environmental analysis, (iii) consultations with local stakeholders, (iv) air and noise monitoring, (v) assessment of best environmental management practices, and (vi) mitigation and monitoring plans
• Advise on Equator Principles compliance audits to assess environmental and social risk in project finance transactions
• Develop, implement, and monitor environmental regulations
• Develop a process to conduct safety inspections
• Provide advice on sector oversight, including the preparation of remediation, restoration, and abandonment plans

Capacity Building

• Develop and administer capacity building programs—transfer of technical, financial, and commercial expertise— to plan and implement activities associated with renewable energy via seminars, workshops, and tutoring
• Organize roundtables, workshops, site visits, and other forms of training for technical and policy staff to support engagement objectives, and established information and professional networks and partnerships among these parties
• Provide recommendations to improve government access to individuals with technical skills in the sector, and advised government staff to improve access to training and educational opportunities.
• Identify capacity constraints and staff needs of relevant units
• Promote effective public participation and stakeholder engagement
• Strengthen the governance capacity and capability of key government organizations to plan, integrate, and to sustainably provide services
• Through meetings, interviews, and review of the resumes of those involved in the renewable power sector, and discussions with other development partners involved in the renewables sector, identify strengths and weaknesses of the various government institutions involved in developing the renewables sector to identify needs and opportunities for training and development of the technical staff of the government’s institutions
• Build technical capacity of staff in renewable energy development, sector management, and oversight, including (i) sector research and analysis, (ii) issue identification, (iii) policy formulation and analysis, (iv) monitoring and evaluating, and (v) impact assessments

Qualifications

• Bachelors or Masters (preferred) in a related topic
• At least 10 years’ experience--including in developing countries--in origination, structuring/execution and post-deal maintenance of various renewable energy power sector transactions
• Extensive experience in power sector reform issues in the developing world
• Experience in the renewable energy power sector in Nigeria or West Africa is a plus