Background

Renewable Energy Sector

At the present time, there exists no Government policy nor a defined framework for renewable energy (geothermal, hydro, biomass, solar, wind, etc.) development in the country. This is despite the fact that the country possesses, following preliminary investigations, very good geothermal potential on Grande Comore, solar resources on all three islands and hydro resources on Anjouan and Mohéli that can be further developed to put it on a sustainable energy development path.

Geothermal Energy

Mount Karthala is an active volcano located on Grande Comore at 2,361 m above sea level. It is the southernmost and larger of the two shield volcanoes (named as such for the solidified lava resembling a warrior’s shield lying on the ground) on the island, with the second smaller one being the Massif de la Grille located in the northern part of the island - Karthala is somewhat similar to the the Mauna Kea, a shield volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii.The Massif de la Grille has not been active for many years now and is not considered to have good potential for geothermal resource exploitation, although its proximity to the Karthala (10 km away) may suggest otherwise. On the other hand, the Karthala volcano (Photo 1) is very active, having erupted more than 20 times since the 19th century. Frequent eruptions have shaped the volcano’s crater which is 3 km wide from east to west by 4 km wide from north to south. Access to the caldera is by vehicular traffic along a rough terrain for the initial part up to the village of Mvuni and the remaining 15 km from there is presently accessible only on foot. The last lava flow at Karthala was in January 2007, but eruptions have been documented to occur every 11 years, on an average.

A first assessment, made in 2008 as part of a geophysical survey and supported by New Zealand, revealed the presence of an active geothermal reservoir, with the key indicator of a potentially exploitable geothermal resource being the rift system associated with the active volcano that may extend all the way west to Kenya’s Great Rift Valley where 636 MW of geothermal energy is presently under exploitation. This first assessment, coupled with subsequent surface exploration around the Karthala basin undertaken with the support of international partners, point towards the potential of ultimately generating some 45 MW of base-load electricity.

Hence, the scope for harnessing the geothermal resource potential resources of Karthala for electricity generation appears very promising, but the bottleneck has been the lack of Government resources to complete the studies that would definitely confirm the potential for development. In addition to completing the technical studies, such social issues as land ownership, access to the site, public education about the project, potential benefits to the local community, lower cost electricity supply, etc. need to be assessed. This would also include a strategy for geothermal power development, recognising the facts that any development will put on harbour facilities to bring in heavy equipment from overseas, roads (existing and new) to transport the equipment to the site, local water supplies required during drilling and construction, and availability of competent contractors on the island. Finally, the absence of a clear policy that will promote and facilitate private sector participation in renewable energy development, including that of geothermal energy, acts as a deterrent and needs to be addressed.

A GEF-UNDP funded project on “Sustainable development of Comoros Islands by promoting the geothermal energy resources” was approved for a period of 5 years (2019 – 2024). The project will promote a market-based approach to encourage the participation of the private sector to electricity generation through the development and use of geothermal energy, to power the existing network. In accordance with the requirements of the GEF, focus will be on developing policies and regulatory frameworks that provide additional support, limited to strategically important investments ", such as investment in electricity generation from geothermal resources, enabling the country to progress towards energy independence and energy security increased in a way that respects the environment and the climate. This project aims to formulate a conducive policy/regulatory framework to develop and utilise geothermal energy on Grande Comore and promote investment in the development of geothermal resources for base power electricity generation. It will do so by leveraging almost $ 46 million in multilateral and private sector financing over its six-year implementation period. Over the same period, a 10 MW geothermal base power plant will be developed to supply the Grande Comore electricity grid to displace diesel fuel that is presently utilised. Operation of the geothermal plant will result in generation of some 2,390,000 MWh of electricity over an expected 30-year projected life of the installation. This, in turn, will result in avoiding 1,882,125 tonnes of CO2 over the same 30-year projected lifetime of the equipment. The project will achieve this target by introducing a conducive framework for investment promotion in geothermal resources development on Grande Comore.

An island country like the Comoros is more vulnerable to the devastating effects of climate change. Sea level rise, higher temperatures, and the increase in natural disasters due to changing weather conditions are a calamity for these islands. It is a serious threat to the Comoros even though its emissions are negligible compared to the larger countries, responsible for 0.00045% of total global carbon emissions in 2010 (Source: INDC-2015). Islands like Comoros contribute little to global warming, but they face the threat of more immediate because of sea level rise which causes loss of lives and of property, coastal erosion and pressure on freshwater resources. The government is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with intensive use of diesel for electricity generation and is aware of the efforts necessary to reduce foreign exchange expenditures while providing the population a reliable and stable supply of electricity. To this end, he advocated in his Second National Communication (DCN-2012) and INDC (INDC-2015) exploring the potential for using geothermal energy as one of the measures mitigation measures likely to change the country's economic growth from the mode of high CO2 intensity in low carbon mode. In its INDC, the government went further by distinguishing the emission reduction of 84%, depending on the development and use of geothermal energy and indicating that the time required to complete the studies and start the production of electricity, materializing around 2030, with an expected production capacity of 40 MW. With the support of this project, it is estimated that some 10 MW of basic electricity generation be operational by the year 2023.

Duties and Responsibilities

The CTA will be responsible for assisting the Project team in the preparation of the work plan and the smooth running of its implementation in accordance with the regulation procedures implementation of UNDP activities, but also to develop a fund-raising plan to complete the Geothermal Development Program.

Under the overall supervision of the Project Manager, the non-resident Chief Technical Adviser will:

• Support the project team and Government in leveraging the additional funding needed to complete the remaining exploratory phases;
• Work closely with the PM in coordinating and facilitating inputs of government agencies, partner organizations, scientific and research institutions, subcontractors, and national and international experts in a timely and effective manner;
• Provide guidance and assistance to the PM and project staff to ensure that the project activities conform to the approved project document;
• Assist the PM during the initiation of the project, in the preparation of an “inception report” which will elaborate on the project Logical Framework Matrix and planned project activities, the Annual Work Plan and Budget, ToRs for key project staff, and an M&E plan;
• Assist the PMU in development of relevant ToRs and recruitment/mobilization of qualified national and international experts and organizations as needed to provide specific consultancy and engineering services;
• In close cooperation with the PMU and UNDP’s Focal Point on Energy and Environment, and in consultation with the project partner organizations and stakeholders, prepare Annual Project Work Plans to be agreed upon by the Project Board (PB);
• Provide “on-the-job” technical guidance and mentoring to the PMU in order to strengthen their capacity to effectively implement the technical aspects of the project;
• Support the PM in reporting to the PB on the progress of project implementation and achievement of project results in accordance with the project's logical framework matrix;
• Support the PMU in project-related meetings, as required;
• Review reports of national and international consultants, project budget revisions, and administrative arrangements as required by UNDP/GEF procedures;
• Assist the PM in the development of a concrete Monitoring and Evaluation Plan at the outset of the project (within inception report);
• Support the PM in preparing project progress reports, information releases, as well as monitoring and review reports in accordance with UNDP/GEF monitoring and evaluation rules and procedures;
• Support the PM in the preparation and implementation of Mid-Term Review and Terminal Independent Evaluation Missions (TOR’s, identification and recruitment of appropriate candidates, organization of missions, joint field missions and discussion with evaluators, etc.);
• Support UNDP CO staff on their annual monitoring visits to project sites.

Composition of the application file

Interested consultants must submit a complete file including two proposals: a technical proposal and a financial proposal.

Technical proposition

It must obligatorily include:

• A motivation letter;
• The detailed curriculum vitae of the candidate including mainly the experience of the similar missions with at least 3 (three) references;
• An explanatory note on the understanding of the Terms of Reference and the reasons for nomination;
• A description of the proposed methodology and a work plan including a provisional timetable indicating the different phases for the
• production of deliverables

Candidates must take this into account when proposing their work plan and provisional chronogram.

TCC Mission Schedule: 22 Weeks in 2 Years (Project Implementation Period)

Year of execution:A1

Number of weeks provided:6 weeks

Number of missions provided:1

Number of days permission:35

Year of execution:A1

Number of weeks provided:2 weeks

Number of missions provided: 1

Year of execution:Number of days permission:10

Year of execution:A1

Number of weeks provided:4 weeks

Number of missions provided:1

Number of days permission:20

Year of execution:A2

Number of weeks provided:4 weeks

Number of missions provided:1

Number of days permission:20

Year of execution:A2

Number of weeks provided:6weeks

Number of missions provided:1

Number of days permission:30

Financial proposal

The financial proposal provides for a lump sum of the benefit with breakdown. Applicants must indicate / detail in their financial proposal the costs of return air tickets (if applicable), fees, accommodation fees and the number of working days and any other relevant expenses for the duration of the mission;

UNDP does not accept travel costs that exceed those of the class ticket economic. If the consultant wishes to travel to a higher class, he will have to do so on his own resources.

Evaluation of the application files

Candidates will be assessed on file, on the basis of the technical offers and following the methodology of the combined score (technical proposal: 70 points and financial proposal: 30 points).

Technical evaluation: 70 points

Qualifications techniques et expérience:Justify of a Diploma of Higher Studies (minimum Master 2) in geothermal development, geoscience, renewable energy

Points: 11 (=Master 2, 08 points)

Qualifications techniques et expérience:Points:Have at least 10 years of professional experience in implementation renewable energy projects, combined with knowledge of economic analysis as well as policy, regulatory and institutional;

Point: 26 (0 to 6 years of experience 7 to 9 years of experience;> = 10 years of experience)

Qualifications techniques et expérience:Have completed at least three international missions in the implementation of renewable energy projects with cross-skills in the development of policy, regulatory and institutional frameworks, and in economic analysis;

Point:28 (0 to 2 missions : 0 points;> = 3 missions : 20 points)

Qualifications techniques et expérience:Confirmed professional experience (minimum 05 years) in the mobilization public / private financing of renewable energies;

Point: 26

Qualifications techniques et expérience:Proposed approach and methodology and work plan

Point: 9

Only candidates who have obtained 70% of the total points will be considered for the financial evaluation.

Financial evaluation: 30 points

A financial score will be calculated for each proposal on the basis of the formula:

Financial Rating A = [(Financial Bid Least Saying) / Financial Offer of A] x 30 In other words,

The maximum number of 30 points will be awarded to the lowest financial proposal.

The proposal obtaining the highest overall score after adding the score of the proposal technical and financial proposal will be considered as the best performing offer and will get the contract.

The Candidate with the highest cumulative grade (Technical + Weighted + Financial) will be retained for the contract.

Deliverables:

Deliverable 1:Plan for additional funds mobilization for the implementation of the geothermal development program;Concrete monitoring and follow-up plan according to Project indicators; Concrete monitoring and follow-up plan according to Project indicators; Concrete monitoring and follow-up plan according to Project indicators and procedure;

Time (number missions by year: Six weeks

% of payment: 30%

Deliverable 2: Review reports of national and international consultations, project budget revisions and administrative arrangements as required by UNDP / GEF procedures.Monitoring and review reports, in accordance with UNDP / GEF monitoring and evaluation rules and procedures.

Time (number?missions by year:Two weeks

% of payment: 10%

Deliverable 3:Review reports of national and international consultations, project budget revisions and administrative arrangements as required by UNDP / GEF procedures.Monitoring and review reports, in accordance with UNDP / GEF monitoring and evaluation rules and procedures.

Time (number?missions by year:Four weeks

% of payment: 15%

Deliverable 4: Progress report on activities in accordance with the logical framework matrix; Report of news releases; Review reports of national and international consultations, project budget revisions and administrative arrangements as required by UNDP / GEF procedures. Monitoring and review reports, in accordance with UNDP / GEF monitoring and evaluation rules and procedures.

Time (number missions by year:Four weeks

% of payment: 15%

Deliverable 5: Progress report on activities in accordance with the logical framework matrix; Report of news releases;Review reports of national and international consultations, project budget revisions and administrative arrangements as required by UNDP / GEF procedures;

Time (number missions by year:Six weeks;

% of payment: 30%

Competencies

Demonstrate skills:

• In capacities to anticipate technological evolutions;
• In the design and analysis of development models of geothermal energy and renewable energies;
• In capacity to analyze political and legal frameworks of the renewable energy sector;
• In technical and financial resources mobilization.

In addition, the consultant must:

• Have excellent skills for teamwork with good interpersonal relationship;
• Demonstrate a good ability to work under pressure and respond to additional requests in short time;
• Demonstrate sensitivity and adaptability with respect to issues cultural, gender, religion, nationality, age difference;
• Have excellent writing and communication skills;
• Be free from any professional engagement that may interfere with the performance of the mission.  

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Postgraduate degree in geothermal development, geoscience, renewable energy.

Experience:

• Minimum ten years of experience in implementing geothermal energy projects in combination with knowledge of economic and financial analysis, institutional, regulatory and policy frameworks;
• Prior knowledge and experience of the political, social and environmental factors and issues related to energy development, especially geothermal and climate change mitigation in African Developing States/Small Island Developing States;
• Familiarity with UNDP rules, regulations and administrative procedures would be an advantage;
• Computer proficiency, especially related to professional office software packages;
• Excellent drafting and communication skills.

Language:

• English with a good command of French.