Resource Management Specialist

The Consultant will support national and regional stakeholder consultations, analysis and preparation of knowledge products and the development and facilitation of capacity building activities. Key deliverables include: 1. Identification of key stakeholder groups, coordination and organization of stakeholder consultation meetings (virtual or in-person). 2. Develop a report on institutionalizing capacity building in South Asia 3. Provide technical feedback on knowledge products developed by project consultants and develop terms of references for engaging experts on research topics related to enhancing multilateral power trade in ASEAN 4. Develop capacity building programmes and facilitate their delivery on topics related to just and inclusive energy transitions and multilateral power trading for South- and South-East Asian stakeholders 5. Draft four thought leadership products (expert blogs, policy briefs and/or technical papers) related to advancing multilateral power trade in ASEAN. Under the direct supervision of Chief, Energy Connectivity Section, Energy Division, and the overall supervision of the Director of the Division, the Consultant will support the implementation of the above mentioned projects; "Strengthening regulatory capacity for just energy transition in South and South-East Asia" and the ASEAN Power Grid Advancement Program delivered under the project "Supporting regional energy connectivity through the ASEAN Power Grid Initiative towards accelerating energy transition". The consultant will deliver the following outputs / deliverables: 1. Concept note for the South Asia regulatory capacity building identifying stakeholder groups, scope of analysis based on initial research on data availability 2. National stakeholder consultations in South Asia on regulatory capacity building needs 3. Report on institutionalizing capacity building in South Asia through the establishment of a school of regulation 4. Delivery of consultative and capacity building workshops for South Asian energy regulators and other stakeholders 5. Contribute to the delivery of forums for knowledge exchange among regional energy regulators 6. Review of knowledge products developed by other project consultants 7. Develop technical terms of reference for engaging subject matter experts on multilateral power trading (as required) 8. Draft 4 thought leadership products in collaboration with APG-AP partners.

The member States of the South-East Asian sub-region have for many years been actively seeking to integrate their power systems across borders and increase renewable energy deployment, through development of the ASEAN Power Grid (APG). The past few years have seen some notable areas of progress on the APG’s development, including the successful launch of the third ASEAN Interconnection Masterplan Study (AIMS III), the establishment of the Lao PDR-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore Power Integration Project (LTMS-PIP), and the announcement in 2023 of the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines Power Integration Project (BIMP-PIP). However, a number of priority areas for the APG’s development remain at an early stage or otherwise under-developed, including development of full multilateral, multidirectional power trading, and increased support for the cross-border trade of renewable electricity. Progress in the development of APG has been hampered by several factors including: ● Diverse energy policies and regulations among member States ● Infrastructure challenges ● Financial and investment issues Building on the work carried out under the ASEAN Power Grid Advancement Program (APG-AP), funded by the Energy Transition Partnership (ETP-UNOPS), ESCAP will continue to address these challenges through technical review of APG-AP products, development of TORs for necessary technical studies relating to multilateral power trade pilots, arrangement of capacity building activities and coordination meetings, convening stakeholders for finance mobilization and other topics as relevant, and regular development of knowledge products. In parallel, through the project entitled “Strengthening regulatory capacity for just energy transition in South and South-East Asia”, ESCAP is working to enhance regulatory capacity to accelerate energy transition in South- and South-East Asia. While renewable energy potential is vast, many countries in the region lack sufficient capacity to develop and implement regulations that would enable an accelerated, just and equitable energy transition. This includes regulations to incentivize investments in renewable energy and other energy transition technologies such as grids and storage. Regulations to expand access and engage in bilateral and multilateral collaboration to support cross-border power system integration and electricity trade are also critical for energy transition in the region. The burden of energy poverty remains concentrated in remote and underserved communities disproportionately affecting women, persons with disabilities, and marginalized groups. Building on ongoing work in South-East Asia, delivered in partnership with the ASEAN Energy Regulators Network, ASEAN Secretariat and UNOPS-ETP, to establish an ASEAN School of Regulation (ASR) with the aim of institutionalizing long-term regulatory capacity-building, the project will deliver targeted trainings and strategic knowledge exchange to embed just transition principles into regulatory practices in, and increased collaboration between, energy regulators in South-East and South Asia, as well as explore opportunities to establish a similar institutional structure in South-Asia. The consultant will be responsible for supporting both projects.

Advanced degree in economics, engineering, international development or related field. Over 10 years experience working in South-East Asia and South-Asia on energy issues. Extensive experience working with diverse range of stakeholders including governments, utilities, regional institutes and development partners.

Excellent command over English for successful implementation of the work.

Not available.