Introduction
Since 2010, UNIDO supports regional economic communities in the Global South in the creation and operation of regional sustainable energy centres, that provide technical support “from the region for the region”. The ten centres cover 120 member states, including most least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing states (SIDS). UNIDO hosts the GN-SEC platform, that facilitates south-south and triangular cooperation on innovative renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions of common interest and priority. In support of the blue economy, climate mitigation and adaptation aspirations of SIDS, the area of low-carbon shipping and renewable ocean energy (OE) for productive uses was selected as one of the prioritised SSTC activities under the GN-SEC platform.
This correlates with the international climate commitments under the UNFCCC and recommendations of the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy that has identified seven ready-to-implement and viable ocean-based climate solutions that can deliver up to 47% of the annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions needed by 2050 to keep the planet from warming a catastrophic 2 degrees Celsius. Most of these solutions are either directly or indirectly addressing the energy sector, such as the scaling of ocean-based renewables, the decarbonisation of ocean-based transport and coastal tourism, the phasing out of offshore oil and gas, the expansion of sustainable blue food production, restoring of coastal and marine eco-systems, as well as carbon removal and storage.
Background
Energy security and economic competitiveness of Pacific island countries and territories (PICTs) highly depends on a successful transition away from imported fossil fuels to renewable energy and the adaptation of energy infrastructure to climate change impacts, particularly in the power and transport sector. In this context, Pacific governments have adopted ambitious renewable energy targets and have started to address infrastructure resilience in National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and energy planning. Due to limited land availability and technical limitations of variable renewable energy and storage solutions, OETs become an interesting complementary solution particularly in the mid- and long-term.
However, so far PICTs and SIDS in general, do not benefit from these emerging technologies and only a few prototypes have been implemented. OETs are often mentioned in blue economy plans but are not considered in energy policies, power expansion plans or coastal spatial planning. There are manifold demand- and supply-side barriers related to policy, regulation, standards, knowledge, capacity, technology access, finance, innovation and investment. Therefore, a regional and global SIDS-SIDS approach can facilitate equal progress among countries, joint learning, economies of scale and significantly contribute to the full commercialisation of these technologies.
In this context, the Fifth Meeting of the Pacific Regional Energy and Transport Ministers, held from 11 to 12 May 2023 in Vanuatu, adopted the „Port Vila Call for a Just Transition to a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific” and acknowledged the importance of renewable OE for building a climate-resilient Pacific Ocean-Energy Economy. The potential of renewable OE has been mentioned in several key policies of the Pacific, including the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, the Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific: An Integrated Approach to Address Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management (FRDP) 2017 – 2030 and the Framework for Energy Security and Resilience in the Pacific (FESRIP) 2021–2030.
Based on a prepared policy paper, the Pacific Minister of Energy directed UNIDO and the Pacific Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (PCREEE), hosted by the Pacific Community (SPC), to develop a regional ocean energy readiness program, which aims to mitigate barriers and bring the latest innovations to the Pacific. The Ministers further encouraged close cooperation with the Global Ocean Energy Alliance (GLOEA), which was launched by UNIDO, SIDS DOCK and various SIDS governments under the GN-SEC at the UN Ocean Conference in 2022.
The GLOEA provides a platform to connect SIDS and coastal developing countries in the Global South with the emerging OE industry, as well as concessional finance and venture capital from the Global North. The GLOEA will be implemented through an intra-regional approach involving several GN-SEC centres, including CCREEE, SICREEE, ECREEE, SACREEE and CEREEAC.
Objectives of the assignment
On this background, UNIDO and PCREEE seek consultancy support for the development of a technical OE baseline and needs assessment, as well as a project document for the Pacific Renewable Ocean Energy Readiness Program (PROERP). Both documents will be presented for approval in the Sixth Meeting of Pacific Ministers on Energy and Transport in 2026.
Further information is available here: https://www.unido.org/get-involved/procurement/procurement-opportunities
