Tracking sustainable energy performance in the MENA region

Tracking sustainable energy performance in the MENA region

Many countries are embracing the sustainable energy agenda in all regions of the world.  According to a global policy scorecard entitled RISE (Regulatory Indicators for Sustainable Energy), an increasing number of developing countries are emerging as leaders in sustainable energy, with robust policies to support energy access, renewables and energy efficiency. The scorecard developed by the World Bank is aimed at helping governments assess if they have a policy and regulatory framework in place to drive progress on sustainable energy, pinpointing where more can be done to attract private investments. The RISE scorecard aggregates data across 27 indicators and 80 sub indicators, divided in 3 areas, namely energy access, energy efficiency and renewable energy. The rankings published to date are based on the examination of over 3,000 laws, regulations and policy documents for 111 countries. 

The highest ranking countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are presently the United Arab Emirates [77],  Jordan [76] and Tunisia [73].  According to the RISE scorecard, countries are classified into a green zone of strong performers in the top third, a yellow zone of middling performers, and a red zone of weaker performers in the bottom third (see Figure). Not all countries in the MENA region have been evaluated and a more comprehensive assessment of how countries are performing will be published in an upcoming report - Global Tracking Framework - to be presented at the Sustainable Energy for All Forum, in New York, USA, on 3- 5 April 2017.

The Arab Future Energy Index (AFEX) is another tool comparing renewable energy and energy efficiency parameters in countries across the region. recent report  indicates  that Tunisia and Jordan rank the highest in the region for creating a favourable environment for renewable energy and energy efficiency investments. Since the first edition of AFEX in 2013, many countries have made progress towards creating better conditions for the uptake of sustainable energy investments. Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, have implemented energy subsidy reforms and increased prices of oil products. Tunisia and Jordan have moved forward with the implementation of net metering schemes and installed small-scale distributed renewable energy systems. Morocco and the UAE have awarded contracts for the development of large-scale solar projects while Lebanon and Palestine have made progress in successfully operationalizing energy efficiency funds.