MEDREG held its 27th General Assembly on 18-19 June in Tirana, which was marked by a redoubling of the organisation’s efforts to promote and facilitate the deployment of sustainable support schemes for Renewable Energy Sources (RES).
On 18 June, in a workshop held back-to-back with its General Assembly and jointly organised with the Energy Community Regulatory Board (ECRB), MEDREG promoted the role that energy regulators play in Renewable Energy Sources (RES) auction mechanisms and called on International Financial Institutions to support the development of net metering. A large array of stakeholders took part in the discussions including the European Commission, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), regulators, consultants, DSOs, etc.
Earlier this year, MEDREG assisted its Algerian member to successfully launch a call for tenders to determine RES prices through auctions in Algeria, and advised the Palestinian Energy Regulator on the opportunity to establish a net metering system in Palestine, illustrating the organisation’s commitment to accompany the sustainable energy transition in the Southern shore.
The General Assembly took stock of the multiple initiatives that MEDREG has been coordinating to foster electricity market integration, through its tightened cooperation with Med-TSO and other stakeholders under the umbrella of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Energy Platforms. The two organisations are working jointly on regulatory harmonisation, the development of common network codes and standards as well as on a concept of Mediterranean Project of Common Interest to boost infrastructure investments.
Acknowledging the valuable technical and institutional contributions of MEDREG to the UfM Energy Platforms and its Southern members, the European Commission has stated its intention to renew the EU’s financial support to the Association for the next three years.
This 27th GA was also marked by a reinforcement of partnerships and cooperation with other energy stakeholders of the region and beyond on common priorities, to facilitate synergies between similar organisations. In this context, MEDREG is planning a trilateral workshop later this month with ECRB and CEER that will identify regulatory tools that make customer empowerment a reality, analysing experiences from the three regions.