2022 was a productive year for Energy Peace Partners. Amidst the complex security challenges that we face as a global community, EPP continued to advance innovative solutions that support renewable energy as a building block for peace in the world’s most fragile countries. As we look toward 2023, we remain hopeful and optimistic about our collective capacity to make a difference by increasing peace and prosperity.
We achieved progress in core program areas. In our Peace Renewable Energy Credit (P-REC) program, we announced new P-REC transactions in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). We were approved as the authorized I-REC issuer in Ethiopia and Haiti (in addition to DRC, South Sudan, Chad and Somalia). The P-REC Aggregation Fund – our solution to scaling up the P-REC instrument and amplifying its impact in sub-Saharan Africa – moved closer towards Fund close and launch. In our Powering Peace initiative, with the Stimson Center, we co-hosted and facilitated events that continue to build momentum and consensus among stakeholders on accelerating UN peacekeeping energy transitions; we published a new report on Somalia and conducted research for an upcoming report on South Sudan. We launched our Peace Impact Research program and co-published the findings of our first data collection project on the peace impacts of a P-REC-supported renewable energy project in DRC, while completing a second data collection effort in South Sudan.
Our organization continued to grow. The EPP team expanded, with Stephen Otieno joining as Program Associate in our Nairobi office. Stephen is supporting the origination and qualification of a growing pipeline of P-REC projects in Africa. We added new operational and advisory partners, including Camco Clean Energy, the International Climate Finance Accelerator (ICFA) Luxembourg, Odyssey Energy Solutions, and Mercy Corps. We welcomed Rockefeller Brothers Fund and Mulago Foundation as our newest philanthropic partners.
We started to travel again. After a 2-year hiatus, the EPP team hit the road with field visits to P-REC project sites in the DRC, team and partner meetings in Kenya, and participation at global events in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United States.
As the year draws to a close, one data point reminds us both of the scale of the challenge and the unique opportunity presented: of the nearly 800 million people without access to electricity, 86% live in fragile states. We believe that it is these conflict-affected communities who have the most to gain from the renewable energy revolution, and we remain committed to ensuring their full and equitable participation in it.
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2022 Year-in-Review