(2017-06) Analiz kou-benefis refòm sektè elektrik la an Ayiti
Rezime — Yon analiz kou-benefis ki di refòm regleman ak gouvènans konpayi kouran an dwe vini anvan tout envestisman fizik nan sektè elektrik ayisyen an, paske san sa envestisman an p ap efikas ni p ap dire. Otè yo desine yon pwogram refòm ki gen de pati, yo bay li yon pri 58 milyon dola sou senk an, epi yo jwenn yon randman ekonomik pozitif menm ak ipotèz pesimis sou chans reyisit la.
Dekouve Enpotan
- Refòm regleman ak gouvènans konpayi an dwe vini anvan envestisman fizik: san li, tout pwogram envestisman nan sektè elektrik ayisyen an p ap efikas ni p ap dire, epi bayè yo ta dwe mete kondisyon sou tout lòt èd: fòk gen etap refòm yo ka verifye.
- Pake refòm lan koute 58 milyon dola sou senk an, 20 milyon pou pati legal ak reglemantè a ak 38 milyon pou sipò EDH.
- Ak yon chans reyisit 50 pousan, valè aktyèl nèt ekonomik la rive 40 milyon dola nan yon to eskont 12 pousan, ak yon to randman ekonomik entèn 17 pousan; pwogram lan rive nan ekilib menm ak yon chans reyisit ki desann jiska 8 pousan.
- Pèt teknik, komèsyal ak rekouvreman yo te bay an mwayèn anviwon 70 pousan kouran yo pwodui, epi pèt komèsyal ak rekouvreman sèlman reprezante anviwon 49 pousan enèji yo pwodui.
- EDH pran yon sibvansyon gouvènman ki plis pase 200 milyon dola pa ane, sa vle di anviwon 10 pousan depans bidjè a, epi li fè mache plis pase dis rezo distribisyon separe ki pa konekte.
- Se sèlman anviwon 12 pousan popilasyon an ki konekte ofisyèlman ak rezo a epi apeprè menm kantite a konekte ilegalman; kliyan yo resevwa 5 a 15 èdtan kouran pa jou.
- Benefis yo kalibre sou redresman DABS nan Kaboul ak sipò USAID, kote pèt yo desann soti 60 rive 24 pousan an senk an, ak vitès amelyorasyon an divize an de pou Ayiti.
- Risk ki pi grav yo se mank volonte politik ak koripsyon moun ki pwofite nan sistèm aktyèl la; yon tantativ USAID te fè anvan te echwe lè gouvènman an te chanje yon kontra jesyon an yon senp kontra asistans teknik.
Deskripsyon Konple
Agiman dokiman an se sou lòd etap yo. Ayiti gen sistèm elektrik ki pi mal devlope nan emisfè oksidantal la, epi otè yo wè sa kòm yon echèk gouvènans olye yon mank kapital: envestisman bayè yo fè plizyè fwa nan konpitè ak kontè, ansanm ak operasyon Bank Mondyal yo fè dènyèman, pa bay okenn rediksyon pèt ki dire paske konpayi an menm pa janm refòme. Rekòmandasyon ki soti nan sa se pou tout bayè bilateral ak bank miltilateral devlopman mete kondisyon sou tout lòt èd pou sektè elektrik la: fòk gen etap refòm konkrè yo ka verifye.
Pwogram yo desine a gen de pati. Premye a ranfòse kad legal ak reglemantè a, li sipòte ministè ki responsab enèji a ak yon regilatè ki sipoze vin otonòm epi responsab, epi li finanse transfòmasyon EDH an sosyete ansanm ak baz legal pou kontra jesyon, lwaye, konsesyon ak privatizasyon inite li yo; plafon 20 milyon dola sou senk an, ak USAID, Kanada ak Frans kòm bayè posib. Dezyèm lan sipòte operasyon EDH ak asistans teknik ak kontè, pou yon kou estime a 38 milyon dola sou senk an, ak BID ak Bank Mondyal kòm bayè posib. Kontinye apre twazyèm ane a depann sou pèfòmans: senk inite patenarya piblik-prive kòm etap minimòm ak dis kòm maksimòm, epi pwogram lan kanpe si minimòm lan pa rive, ak pèt teknik, komèsyal ak rekouvreman ki desann soti 70 rive 25 pousan sou dis ane ki vin apre.
Benefis yo estime pa konparezon ak redresman konpayi distribisyon Kaboul la, DABS, ki te resevwa sipò USAID epi ki desann pèt li soti 60 rive 24 pousan an senk an; otè yo divize vitès amelyorasyon sa a an de pou Ayiti. Pèt yo evite yo evalye a 0,30 dola pou chak kWh sou yon pwodiksyon 875 000 MWh pa ane, ki rete konstan, yon bagay yo rele pridan. Ak yon chans reyisit 50 pousan, valè aktyèl nèt ekonomik la se 40 milyon dola nan yon to eskont 12 pousan, ak yon to randman ekonomik entèn 17 pousan, epi chif finansye yo se 195 milyon ak 28 pousan. Tès sansiblite mete pwen ekilib la nan yon chans reyisit 8 pousan. Otè yo di risk ki pi grav yo se mank volonte politik ak koripsyon moun ki pwofite nan sistèm aktyèl la, epi yo presize pwòp konsiltasyon yo ak otorite ayisyen yo ak EDH te trè limite, sa ki mete travay la nan etap idantifikasyon pwojè a olye etap fezabilite.
Teks Konple Dokiman an
Teks ki soti nan dokiman orijinal la pou endeksasyon.
Cost Benefit Analysis of Power Sector
Reform in Haiti
Juan A. B. Belt (Lead Author), Nicolas Allien, Jay Mackinnon, and Bahman Kashi
June 27, 2017
This study was performed by a team from Limestone Analytics (www.limestone-analytics.com)
with financial support from Copenhagen Consensus Center under Haiti Priorise Project.
The intervention proposed in this study was selected as the best project for Haiti among 85
submissions by an eminent panel of economist at Haiti Priorise
(http://www.copenhagenconsensus.com/Haiti-Priorise)
The International Confederation of Energy Regulators (ICER) voted to award the authors the
2018 ICER Distinguished Scholar Award in the category of Impact on Development Countries.
1
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Dr. Allen Eisendrath (USAID) for providing data on the reform program
of the Kabul Distribution Company (DABS) and for the Haiti power sector, and for many useful
discussions over the years on management contracts and their potential for turning around
utilities. We would also like to thank Jeremy Foster and Jeffrey Haeni for providing us with
additional information on Haiti. We are grateful to the Copenhagen Consensus Center for
financial support for the development of this paper. All errors remain with the authors.
Academic Abstract
This paper argues that to improve the power sector in Haiti, which now constitutes a critical
constraint to economic growth, it would be necessary to carry out a significant regulatory and
utility governance reform; without these reforms, any physical investment program would be
ineffective and unsustainable. Haiti has the most underdeveloped and inefficient power sector
in the Americas. Numerous past attempts to reform it have failed due to lack of political will. In
this paper, we consider a multi-phase program of reform and assess its feasibility. In the first
phase, the Government of Haiti (GOH) carries the corporatization of units of Electricité d’Haïti
(EDH); introduces management contracts, leases, and concessions; and privatizes EDH units as
appropriate. If the first phase succeeds we propose proceeding to later phases that would
support EDH. Costs have been estimated based on a similar program implemented in
Afghanistan by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Our
estimation of economic benefits is based on a projected reduction in technical losses, valued at
the retail price of electricity for average consumers; net gains in consumer surplus resulting
from servicing high value customers are excluded from the model due to lack of reliable data to
support a quantitative estimate. Furthermore, the analysis is conducted based on a 50% chance
of success for the reform. At these conservative measures of costs and benefits, the project is
found to be economically and financially viable (Economic IRR: 15%, Economic NPV: 11 Million
2017 USD, Financial IRR: 28%, Financial NPV: 78 Million 2017 USD).
2
Acronyms
ATC&C
Average Technical, Commercial and Collection Losses
CBA
Cost Benefit Analysis
DABS
Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat
DISCOS
Distribution Companies
EDH
Electricité d’Haïti
EIRR
Economic Internal Rate of Return
ENPV
Economic Net Present Value
GOH
Government of Haiti
IDB
Inter-American Development Bank
IRR
Internal Rate of Return
IPP
Independent Power Producer
KESIP
Kabul Electricity Service Improvement Program
MDB
Multilateral Development Bank
MW
Megawatt
MWh
Megawatt Hour
NPV
Net Present Value
PPA
Power Purchase Agreement
USAID
United States Agency for International Development
3
Summary and Conclusions
Introduction
This paper argues that to improve the power sector in Haiti, which now constitutes a critical
constraint to economic growth, it would be necessary to carry out a significant regulatory and
utility governance reform; without these reforms, any physical investment program would be
ineffective and unsustainable. All bilateral donors and multilateral development banks should
coordinate closely to ensure that all assistance to the power sector is conditioned on tangible
and verifiable steps to reform the sector.
An eminent panel convened by the Copenhagen Consensus Center and that included an
economics Nobel Prize winner reviewed the paper and ranked it number one among 85
separate submissions1. We believe the main reasons that this proposal was ranked number one
include: lack of power being a key development issue in Haiti, and using best practices to
address sources of past failures in Haiti by all major international donors. The proposed design
provides incentives for performance and contains a credible approach to ensure sustainability.
Background
Haiti has the least developed power system in the Western Hemisphere. This is due in part to a
weak institutional framework, where several actors interact in an unclear regulatory framework
with a lack of strategic coordination and leadership. The Ministry of Public Works
Transportation and Communication is the lead government agency in charge of the energy
sector, as there is no dedicated Ministry of Energy. Decrees reorganizing the power sector
published in January 2016 have called for the creation of a regulatory agency, however, as of
the writing of this paper, these decrees have yet to be enforced. The electric utility, Electricité
d’Haïti (EDH) runs more than 10 separate, unconnected distribution networks that have
average technical, commercial, and collection losses (ATC&C) of 70%. These grids have daily
blackouts that have forced most businesses and many households to install generators on their
premises as a means of coping. Many observers consider the lack of power one of the most
significant constraints to economic growth. Efforts have been made by multiple donors to
improve the power system, including the US Agency for International Development (USAID),
the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and the World Bank, but these attempts have
been largely unsuccessful. Lack of success is the result of a failure to reform EDH, which in turn
is a result of lack of political will and alleged corruption.
The interventions proposed in this paper would have a systemic effect in the entire country by
reducing a key constraint to economic growth. Direct beneficiaries would include present
customers of EDH, who will have access to higher quality power and would suffer less
unscheduled blackouts. As the EDH units are strengthened, additional customers would be
1 http://www.copenhagenconsensus.com/haiti-priorise/haiti-priorise-eminent-panel-findings
4
served. The government of Haiti would also benefit from a decreased need to subsidize EDH.
The utility currently receives a US$200 million subsidy annually, a sum which amounts to 10% of
annual government budget expenditures.
Proposed Interventions
We propose two types of interventions as part of a package of reforms:
1. Interventions to improve the legal regulatory framework. These would be in support of
the ministry in charge of energy and a regulator that eventually will become
autonomous and accountable. These interventions will initially support the
corporatization of EDH and establish the basis for management contracts, leases,
concessions and privatization of the different units of EDH. Adequate performance by
the GOH during the first three years will trigger a continuation of the program. Potential
donors would include USAID and other bilateral donors such as Canada and France. An
upper bound for costs for five years would be US$20 million.
2. Interventions to improve the efficiency of EDH. These interventions will support the
different units of EDH with technical assistance and equipment, mostly meters. It is
envisaged that the different units will be managed through management contracts with
incentives for performances, leases, concessions, and that the Jacmel utility would be
privatized. The IDB and World Bank, as well as bilateral institutions, could be potential
donors. Estimated costs for a five-year program would be US$38 million.
The analysis conducted here is based on 50% chance of success for the first phase of the
program – intervention to improve the legal regulatory framework. Sensitivity tests show the
expected economic net present value would still be greater than zero if the chance of success
drops to 8%. Given that the investment in technical support of EDH is conditional on the
success of the regulatory and legal reforms, the chance of success will not affect the financial
viability of the project for EDH.
Benefits
The most difficult aspect of a project such as this is the estimation of benefits. For these
interventions, we have estimated the potential reduction in ATC&C losses using data for a
USAID-funded project that supported the energy distribution company in Kabul, Afghanistan
(DABS). For the case of Haiti, we have assumed that the reduction in losses would take twice as
long, ten years as opposed to five. For the economic benefits, we only valued the reduction in
technical losses at the price paid by consumers.
Sustainability
Presently GOH subsidies exceed US$200 million per year. If EDH is strengthened those would be
reduced very significantly and maybe would be eliminated, thus allowing the finance of the
regulatory costs. Additionally, a small fee on the total revenue of the DISCOS (say 0.3%) would
be sufficient to pay for the costs of regulation. Funding the regulator with fees is considered a
“best practice” as it reinforces independence of the institution.
5
Key Milestones.
Milestones for the proposed reform program are shown in Table 1.
Table 1 - Milestones for Haitian Electricity Reform Program
Target
Baseline
Year 3
Year 4 - 13
Year 14 - n
PPP units established
0
5 – 10*
No change
No change
ATC&C losses
70%
70%
Gradual reduction 25%
* Five would be the minimum and 10 the maximum. If the minimum milestone is not met, the program would be terminated.
Precedent
USAID and other donors have been successful in implementing programs like this in other
countries. A USAID-funded study that analyzed Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) for
infrastructure and concluded that they can only succeed if control is fully vested in new
managers through management contracts, leases, concessions, or full privatization. A previous
attempt by USAID to improve the operations of EDH failed when the GOH changed the
proposed management contract to a purely technical assistance contract. Because of this poor
performance, USAID significantly reduced programs supporting the power sector in Haiti and
concentrated efforts in Caracol, where an on-going program has demonstrated that ATC&C
losses can be reduced to under 10% if competent management is introduced. USAID is now
developing the bidding documents to grant a 30-year concession for Caracol. Success with this
would validate the institutional feasibility of the main recommendations of this paper.
Risks
Benefits and costs were estimated using conservative assumption. The main risk is that lack of
political will and corruption can derail the interventions. Table 2 lists the costs and benefits of
the intervention, assuming a 50% chance of success, a commercial loss target of 18% and a
technical loss target of 8%.
Table 2 - IRR and NPV from alternative perspectives
Criteria
Economic NPV (ENPV) @ 12%
Economic IRR (EIRR)
Financial NPV (NPV) @ 12%
Financial IRR
100% chance of success
50% chance of success
87 Million 2017 USD
40 Million 2017 USD
18%
17%
391 Million 2017 USD
195 Million 2017 USD
28%
28%
Conclusions
The proposed project would be feasible from the financial and economic points of view. But
feasibility depends most importantly on the willingness of the Government of Haiti to
implement the proposed reforms. We have been informed that the President of Haiti accepted
6
in principle the recommendations of this paper and that he has named a point person to
further discuss next steps. This presents a golden opportunity to reduce or even eliminate a
most significant constraint to economic growth. Successful implementation will also require
excellent coordination by international donors.
USAID played a key role in introducing CBA in the agricultural and rural road sectors in Haiti.
Additionally, USAID funded a training program for GOH officials that included financial,
economic, and beneficiary analysis, and project design; as a result, Haiti now has a cadre of very
well trained professionals in these areas. USAID should consider introducing CBA for power
sector projects in Haiti and elsewhere as an intrinsic component of project design, as was done
in the case of the Feed the Future Initiative.
7
Introduction
This paper deals with Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) of a project designed to strengthen power
sector regulation and improve the efficiency of Electricité d’Haïti (EDH), a state-owned utility.
It is important to note that the authors first had to design a project and then carry out the CBA.
They did this using the experience of this paper’s lead author in designing development projects
at the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and the US Agency for
International Development (USAID). Designing projects like this is usually an iterative process
that involves multi-disciplinary teams that include, inter alia, engineers, project design
specialists, lawyers, financial analysts and economists. Additionally, and most importantly, this
would include a thorough process of consultation with the relevant authorities, officials of EDH,
users, etc. Given resource limitations, only very limited consultations were carried out.
Economic development institutions follow a project cycle that begins with a strategy for the
sector, identification, pre-feasibility analysis, feasibility analysis, project approval, and
monitoring and evaluation. This CBA analysis was carried out using secondary data and
represents the level of analysis that would be carried out at the identification stage. Results
obtained indicate that a project to strengthen EDH and reduce generation costs would be viable
from the economic and financial points of view. If a donor encountered similar results in the
real world, the next step would be to fund the necessary studies to move the project through
the project cycle. The greatest risks this project would face stem from a lack of political will,
and possible corruption driven by those who benefit from the present system.
Several donors have been involved in a multitude of projects designed to improve the
operations of EDH but these projects have largely failed or have resulted in minor
improvements given the level of resources expended. These projects have been somewhat
timid in terms of the reforms or were weakened after approval because of political pressure.
For example, a USAID-funded project to strengthen EDH initially contemplated a quasimanagement contract, with incentives for performance, where the consulting firm would have
significant control of EDH, including hiring and firing of staff. But eventually the Government of
Haiti (GOH) converted this contract to technical assistance contract, where the consulting firm
was limited in its role to providing advice to the management of EDH and supporting the
procurement of some equipment. Improvements of efficiency under this contract were minor.
Because of this poor performance, USAID reprogrammed more than $100 million originally
intended for the power sector in Haiti, to other sectors in Haiti and to other countries. The
USAID-funded program was one of a multitude of efforts by many donors, including also the
World Bank and the IDB. It is alleged that a main reason for the failure of programs to
strengthen EDH has been corruption and specifically that EDH officers benefit personally from
commercial and collection losses.
A more recent and very important initiative has been USAID’s support for the Caracol Power
Plant. USAID initially provided funding for the construction of 10 MW diesel-fired plant and
distribution network. Afterwards, USAID funded a management team under the National Rural
Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) and now ATC&C losses are under 10%, and all other
efficiency indicators also have improved. USAID also supported the analysis to estimate cost-
8
reflective tariffs for Caracol. Presently, USAID is providing funding to develop the necessary
bidding document for the award of a 30-year concession for the Caracol Power Plant. If
successful, this would validate to some extent the main recommendation of this paper.
USAID has carried out financial analysis of a possible concession and this is being refined by a
management-consulting firm hired by USAID. It does not appear, however, that USAID has
carried out any cost benefit analysis (CBA) of a multitude of investments in the power sector.
This contrasts with the USAID-funded rural road program and agricultural development
programs in Haiti, which have been subjected to rigorous financial, economic, and beneficiary
analysis.
Power Sector Background
Haiti has one of the least developed power systems in the Western Hemisphere. The electric
utility, Electricité d’Haïti (EDH) runs more than 10 separate, unconnected distribution networks
that are characterized by very large average technical, commercial and collection losses
(ATC&C) and by daily blackouts that have forced most businesses and many households to
install generators on their premises; many observers consider the lack of power one of the
most significant constraints to economic growth. As discussed above, efforts by multiple
donors to improve the power system, including the US Agency for International Development
(USAID), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and the World Bank have been largely
unsuccessful. Lack of success is the result of a failure to reform EDH, which in turn is a result of
lack of political will and alleged corruption.
Figure 1 - Haiti grids and the associated ATC&C losses
Installed capacity is about 320 MW, of which 260 comes from generators that burn liquid fuels
and 60 MW comes from hydropower. This makes the country highly vulnerable to variations in
petroleum prices. Of the 320 MW of installed capacity, only about 55% are available for
generation (176 MW). There are independent power producers (IPPs) that signed power
purchase agreements (PPAs) through direct negotiation rather than through competitive
bidding procedures. EDH rates are on average around $0.30 per kWh, which is relatively high
9
compared the average rates in the Caribbean. Even at these high rates, EDH requires over $200
million per year from the Government of Haiti to enable it to pay for its obligations.
Haiti’s power sector faces numerous challenges. Some of the main ones include:
As discussed above, ATC&C losses are very high and have averaged in recent years
around 70 % of total electricity generated; commercial and collection losses account for
70% of total losses or around 49% of total energy produced.
The electrification rate is one of the lowest in the world. Only about 12% of the
population is connected to the grid officially, while an equal percentage are connected
illegally.
There are daily blackouts and customers receive only between 5-15 hours of electricity
per day. Therefore, even small businesses and many households must have their own
generators and/or batteries and this constitutes an important constraint to economic
growth.
70
60
Losses (%)
50
40
30
20
10
2013
2011
2009
2007
2005
2003
2001
1999
1997
1995
1993
1991
1989
1987
1985
1983
1981
1979
1977
1975
1973
1971
0
Year
Figure 2 - Average Technical, Commercial and Collection (ATC&C) Losses in Haiti by Year - World Bank (2017)
10
Context/Literature Review
Haiti’s economic condition both influences, and is influenced by, its failing electricity market.
Only 35 % of Haitians have access to electricity through grids. In rural areas that figure is 11 %
(World Bank, 2015). Per capita consumption of electricity in Haiti is significantly lower than
other Caribbean countries, and is only two percent of the neighboring Dominican Republic
(World Bank, 2015, p.5).
The inability to access electricity has serious implications for all Haitians, but is especially
harmful for commercial and industrial enterprises. The lack of reliable electricity supply is cited
by business owners as the most binding constraint to private sector development (World Bank,
2015, p.5). Businesses in Haiti also face some of the highest costs for electricity in the region,
making it hard for them to operate competitively. Households also suffer from lack of available
power, and are forced to adopt coping strategies such as using small diesel generators to power
household appliances, or burning kerosene oil for light. Those Haitians that do have access to
electricity through grids face shortages, and it is estimated that those with connections only
have electricity for 5-9 hours a day (Worldwatch Institute, 2014, p.26).
Haiti’s electricity sector is also a serious financial burden on Haiti’s economy. EDH requires a
transfer that averages US$200 Million each year to cover operating costs. This is equal to 10%
of the national budget or 2% of GDP (World Bank, 2015, p.68). EDH’s significant financial losses
are partly due to high levels of commercial and technical losses in the electrical grid which
prevent EDH from collecting revenue. If EDH could reduce technical losses sufficiently and
improve the collection of payments for electricity that is consumed, it is possible that they
could operate in a more financially sustainable way and reduce their burden on GOH.
Reforming EDH could make other interventions on both the supply and demand side of Haiti’s
electricity market (which we discuss in other papers we have written as part of Haiti Priorise)
more feasible.
While it is hard to predict exactly how reform will play out in Haiti, there is a precedent of large
benefits being achieved through power sector reform in other parts of the developing world.
The reforms we propose are heavily inspired by the Kabul Electricity Service Improvement
Program (KESIP) implemented by USAID in Afghanistan (USAID, 2017). Like Haitians, only 30% of
Afghans have access to electricity. Before KESIP, commercial and technical losses were also very
high at around 60%, like Haiti. KESIP focused on reforming Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat
(DABS), the national electrical utility incorporated in 2008. With a bundle of reforms that
included commercialization of the utility, changes to the governance structure, installation of
smart meters, changes to the procurement processes, performance management and removing
illegal connections, DABS saw AT&C losses drop from 60% to 24% in under five years. While it
would be unlikely that Haiti would be able to replicate the exact success of KESIB, even a
fraction of this level of improvement could make reform feasible.
Other countries have shown the potential benefits of power reform. Kozulj and Di Sbroivacca
(2004) looks at electrification rates before and after sectoral reform in Argentina, El Salvador
and Peru and finds large increases in all cases. In interviews with colleagues at USAID, it was
11
noted that reforms involving smart meters in Brazil, India and other countries lead to significant
drops in non-technical losses, in some cases by as much as 96%.
Theory
Power projects for existing markets can be classified in three types: policy and institutional
reform projects, supply projects, and demand side projects. This CBA will be focused on a
policy and institutional reform project designed to enhance the power sector policy and
regulatory environment and to improve the efficiency of the main off taker of power, Electricité
d’Haïti (EDH).
Benefits included in the evaluation of an electricity project fall under two broad categories: (i)
reductions in the cost of supplying electricity and, (ii) value of improved access to energy. For
instance, if investment in generation results in replacing an inefficient power plant with a more
efficient one, then the main source of benefit is the saving that results from efficiency gains.
However, if the investment increases the total generation resulting in increased access or
improved reliability, then the benefits will mainly result from the value of access or improved
reliability for consumers. It is also common to have projects that result in both types of
benefits.
Institutional reform of EDH, if successful, can result in a range of benefits listed below.
Reduction in technical losses;
Reduction in commercial losses;
Reduced market risk for IPPs resulting from financial stability of the off taker.
Reduction in EDH operating costs (improved institutional efficiency); and
Given the inadequate supply of electricity from EDH and the prevailing market trends in
distributed generation for consumers of all classes, it is reasonable to assume that any
reduction in technical losses should be valued from the perspective of consumers. A reliable
estimate for the value of additional electricity in this case would be the coping cost of
consumers per unit of electricity obtained from sources other than EDH. To estimate the value
one needs to learn about how, on average, consumers of each class use solar panels, batteries,
inverters, small diesel, candles, kerosene, or other sources of energy to cope with unreliable
supply of power from EDH.
The reduction in technical losses could be valued higher than the market price of electricity if it
results in expanding access to high-value consumers who are not currently served. However
due to lack of supporting data for a quantitative estimation of additional benefits, they are not
included in the model.
12
Figure 3 - Impacts of Decreasing Technical Losses
A reduction in commercial losses would not, however, translate to such savings. Commercial
losses reflect electricity that is consumed but not paid for to EDH. Consumption comes at a
value even if it does not translate to a financial payment to EDH. Therefore, majority of what
EDH gains from a reduction in commercial losses is a transfer away from consumers or resellers
who do not pay for electricity. One could argue that the value of a unit of electricity consumed
and not paid for can be on average lower than the value of a unit of electricity that is consumed
and paid for. In other words, consumption will be at inefficient levels when the price is zero.
This however can be ignored in this case since the difference is on the margin, and anecdotal
evidence reflect that a considerable share of commercial losses result from non-paying resellers
of the electricity.
Figure 4 - Impacts of Decreasing Financial Losses
Reduction in commercial losses can result in financial independence and sustainability of EDH,
and, in the long-run, reduce the risk for IPPs that EDH is unable to pay for the power. Such risk
reduction would reduce the cost of generation from IPPs and the overall cost of electricity to
13
the economy. This benefit is however not included in the model as its estimation process relies
on weak evidence.
Overall, a reduction in commercial losses is treated as a pure transfer in this study, maintaining
a conservative level of benefits. Similarly, reduction in operating costs of EDH is excluded from
the analysis.
The main benefits of the project are a reduction in losses. In terms of CBA, Average Technical,
Commercial and Collection losses (ATC&C) can be divided into technical and non-technical. A
reduction in technical losses is clearly an economic benefit. In the case of Haiti where there is
excess demand for power, a reduction in losses would increase power available to consumers
by, among other things, reducing the length and duration of blackouts. The entire reduction in
ATC&C losses is a financial benefit for EDH. While a reduction in Commercial and Collection
losses would likely result in a reduction of consumption by those users who would start paying
for power, we assume in our model that revenue will not decline because there is significant
unfulfilled demand in Haiti.
Calculation of Costs and Benefits
Introductory Comments
Financial vs. Economic Analysis
We have carried out both economic and financial analysis. In this and other projects we
normally carry out financial analysis from different points of view to ensure that all economic
agents have adequate incentives to participate in the project. Financial analysis is also
important to ensure sustainability. For the financial analysis of this project, we have included as
benefits the entire reduction in ATC&C losses and the costs in direct support of EDH.
Economic analysis allows us to determine if an investment will be advisable from the point of
view of the society. For the economic analysis of this project, we only included as a benefit the
reduction in technical losses and as costs we included all the costs included in the financial
analysis plus the costs of regulation. It is important to note that while some of the costs will be
paid by foreign grants, we include these costs in their totality as they could be used to fund
alternative investments in Haiti.
Sustainability
Proposed program envisages a combination of foreign expatriates and locals so that eventually
there would be no or minimal requirement for expatriate support. Eventually, the regulator
should charge fees to the regulated enterprises based on the value of power at the consumer
level; this is considered a “best practice”.
Investment Criteria and the Chance of Success
The analysis conducted in this model results in two streams of net cash (resource) flow. The
first one is the financial net cash flow from the perspective of EDH, and the second one is the
economic net resource flow from the point of view of the country. The reduction in commercial
and collection losses is not included as a benefit from the economic point of view as it
represents a transfer. However, from EDH’s perspective reduction in all ATC&C losses translate
to increased financial earnings. The economic resource flow will also include the costs
14
associated with the regulatory and legal reform which sets up the environment outside EDH
during the first phase of the program. The benefits and costs of both net cash (resource) flows
in the second phase of the program will depend on the chance of success. To estimate the
expected investment criteria, we introduced a parameter called the “chance of success”, which
is shown as 𝛼 in the formula and is used to adjust the costs and benefits of the second phase
(𝐶2 and 𝐵2 respectively). Alternative criteria can be reported using these net cash (resource)
flow statements including the net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR).
𝑬𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝑵𝑷𝑽 = 𝜶𝑩𝟐 − 𝑪𝟏 − 𝜶𝑪𝟐
In this formula 𝐵2 represents the benefits of the second phase, 𝐶1 represents the costs of the
first phase, and 𝐶2 represents the costs of the second phase. Please note that the first phase
itself has no benefits as it is only about building the infrastructure to enable the environment
for the second phase. In other words, the costs of the first phase are the costs associated with
having the opportunity to conduct the second phase. Each of these criteria can be estimated for
the financial net cash flow or the economic net resource flow.
Project Costs
We have carried out a CBA of a project that has two distinct sets of activities and 2 phases. In
our proposed intervention, Phase I would last three years (years 0 to 2) and would develop the
minimum conditions for the success of Phase II. Given all the past failures of donor-funded
projects, if the Government of Haiti (GOH) does not demonstrate commitment to reform, Phase
II would not be supported. The second phase is focused on supporting EDH units in charge of
generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. Table 3 details the assumptions behind
the costs of each phase II by category.
The cost assumptions are based on USAID programs funded in Haiti and in other countries. It is
assumed that an international management consulting firm will be engaged in the beginning, so
the costs include overhead and profit. The costs will later drop for both activities as the staffing
composition transitions from international staff to local hires to ensure sustainability.
Table 3 - Costs across time by activity
Years
0-2
3-4
5-7
8-9
10-12
13-22
23-32
Regulatory and legal costs
2.80
2.80
0.3
0.3
-
-
-
EDH Support
-
7.6
7.6
1.6
1.6
1.1
0.6
Total cost
2.8
10.4
7.9
1.9
1.6
1.1
0.6
The flow of is also presented in the figure below.
15
Costs
Million USD (2017)
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Regulatory and Legal Costs
Cost to EDH
Figure 5 - Costs over time
Costs of Strengthening the Regulatory Capacity of the GOH
Significantly more private participation in the sector would likely be the main instrument to
improve performance. To achieve this, it would be necessary to enhance the regulatory
capacity of the GOH. It is estimated that a team of five expatriate during five years and five
Haitian during ten years would be needed. We also consider that training under the National
Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) be provided. These foreign and
Haitian professionals would lead the institutional reform of EDH and develop the privatization
and concession terms for different units of the utility. It is envisaged that, given the small
market in Haiti, the scheme used would be “regulation by contract” rather than more
sophisticated market designs followed by most countries in Latin America.
Costs of EDH Support Component
In the past, USAID financed a project to strengthen EDH but that project essentially failed. The
main reason for the project’s failure is that actual implementation did not follow the initial
project design. USAID originally agreed to fund a quasi-management contract whereby a team
of consultants would administer EDH with full powers to take management decisions, including
developing a corporate strategy, and hiring and firing staff, as necessary. Eventually, because of
political pressure, the contract was changed to a technical assistance type of contract where
the consultants provided support to the management of EDH but had no power to take key
management decisions. During this USAID-funded project, numerous issues were identified.
The main ones were:
16
Political interference. Several directors have been replaced after short tenures and
many projects undertaken were not justified from the economic or financial points of
view.
Alleged administrative corruption. It has been alleged that EDH employees collude with
clients to enable them to avoid paying for power consumed.
Overemployment of unqualified staff. A significant proportion is unqualified and lacks
sufficient basic knowledge to be able to benefit from training programs.
Lack of knowledge and skills in information technology (IT). Lack of basic IT skills makes
it very difficult to modernize billing and financial management.
Poor donor coordination. Many donors implement programs in isolation, without
considering what other donors are doing, thus wasting resources.
Given the problems discussed above, a classical investment project to support EDH, such as
funding meters and Information Technology (IT), would not be very effective. Similar projects
have indeed been recently carried out with the support of the World Bank and did not lead to
significant results toward reductions in ATC&C losses. We have carried out the CBA of EDH
activities under the basic assumption that the Government of Haiti (GOH) will introduce greater
private participation in the 10 units of EDH. Given that the different units have widely different
levels of efficiency, as measured by ATC&C losses, the solutions for each would vary. We
believe there is scope for a management contract with incentives for performance, leases,
concessions, and full privatization. These options are very tentative and are presented for
illustrative purpose. The next step would be to hold in-depth discussions with the GOH and
potential donors. The options are summarized in the table below.
Table 4 - Proposed Management Structures
Publicly
Owned &
Managed
Publicly
owned &
managed
Publicly owned;
managed by
private firm under
management
Lease
contract with
incentives for
performance
No
technical
assistance
Technical
assistance to
state managers;
investment in
technology
including meters
Management
contract with
incentives for
performance
USAID-funded
project failed to
improve
performance of
EDH
--Port Au Prince
--Petit Goave
--St Marc Gonaive
--Cap Haitien
--Mirabalais/
Hinche
17
Concession
Privatization
Private firm
operates &
maintains;
investment
funded by
public sector
Private firm
operates &
maintains;
investment by
private firm
Private
ownership &
management
--Les Cayes
--Fort Liberte
--Port de Paix
--Jeremy
--Jacmel
For this scheme to work properly, it is also necessary to carry out a reform of the sector. Most
importantly would be to establish an independent and accountable regulator.
Project Benefits
Estimating potential reductions in ATC&C is, obviously, highly speculative. We will use data
from a USAID-funded project (KESID) with the energy distribution company in Kabul,
Afghanistan (DABS) as a benchmark for estimating those reductions in losses in EDH. Before the
USAID-funded project, losses in DABS were 60%, like EDH, and there was political interference,
lack of trained staff, and many of the other problems presently faced by EDH. Below are the
estimated losses in DABS (Kabul).
Table 5 - Estimated DABS ATC&C losses
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5
Losses
60%
53%
31%
28%
24%
Benefits
0%
7%
29%
32%
36%
While improving the operation of DABS in a highly conflictive and corrupt environment was
very challenging, it might be more difficult to achieve similar results in Haiti. Therefore, we will
assume that the rate of improvement of the ten units of EDH will take twice as long as the
improvement in DABS. Total losses in EDH would decline steadily from 70% to 25% in ten years
starting in Phase II; technical losses would decline during the same period from 21% to 8% and
commercial and collection losses drop from 49% to 18%. This drop is illustrated in Figure 6.
Figure 6 - Aggregate ATC&C losses over time
18
The reduction in losses are valued at US$0.30 per kWh. Knowing the amount electricity
generated by EDH (875,000 MWh per year), the value of the averted losses is presented in .
Please note that this is a conservative estimate as it assumes no growth in generation.
Benefits
140
Million USD (2017)
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Value of reduction in Commercial and Collection Losses
(Transfer)
Value of reduction in Technical Losses (Economic Benefit)
Figure 7 - Value of averted ATC&C losses
Summary of Costs and Benefits
The net cash (resource) flow is illustrated in Figure 8 based on 100% chance of success. Table 6
summarizes the investment criteria estimates under 100% chance of success as well as 50%
chance of success.
19
Figure 8 - Net Cash (Resource) Flow over time
Please note that the IRR in Table 6 is estimated using the modified IRR function at 12%
reinvestment and financing rates.
Table 6 - Summary of investment criteria
Criteria
Economic NPV (ENPV) @ 12%
100% chance of success
50% chance of success
87 Million 2017 USD
40 Million 2017 USD
18%
17%
391 Million 2017 USD
195 Million 2017 USD
28%
28%
Economic IRR (EIRR)
Financial NPV (NPV) @ 12%
Financial IRR
Sensitivity Analysis
The tables in this section summarize the sensitivity of the expected NPVs and IRRs (based on
the chance of success) to various parameters. These parameters include the chance of success
(Table 7), discount rate (Table 8), target for collection and commercial losses (Table 9), and
target for technical losses (Table 10).
Table 7 - Sensitivity of expected results to chance of success
ENPV
EIRR
FNPV
IRR
1%
(7)
5%
4
28%
8%
0
12%
31
28%
50%
40
17%
195
28%
70%
59
18%
274
28%
100%
87
18%
391
28%
Table 8 - Sensitivity of expected results to discount rate
ENPV
FNPV
5%
142
559
10%
57
257
12%
40
195
15%
23
134
20%
8
76
20
Table 9 - Sensitivity of expected results to target level of collection and commercial losses
ENPV
EIRR
FNPV
IRR
7%
40
17%
244
29%
12%
40
17%
221
29%
18%
40
17%
193
28%
25%
40
17%
161
27%
30%
40
17%
137
27%
Table 10 - Sensitivity of expected results to target level of technical losses
ENPV
EIRR
FNPV
IRR
4%
56
18%
212
28%
6%
47
17%
202
28%
8%
37
17%
193
28%
10%
28
16%
184
28%
15%
5
13%
161
27%
We may also wish to consider a scenario where multiple variables deviate from our estimates, a
worst-case scenario so to speak, to see if the project is expected to generate a positive net
benefit. Such a scenario can make the following assumptions:
1. A target of 30% for commercial losses;
2. A target of 15% for technical losses; and
3. A 10% probability of success.
The results of this scenario are summarized in Table 11.
Table 11 - Results under the worst-case scenario
ENPV
EIRR
FNPV
IRR
3
13%
40
28%
As one case see, the results are robust even under a conservative estimate with worst-case
assumptions.
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Conclusion
The proposed interventions would be highly beneficial to the Haitian economy. Using
conservative estimates of costs and benefits, the economic NPV (ENPV) would be 40 Million
USD 2017 (assuming a discount rate of 12%). The greatest risk to reform is that lack of political
will and corruption will impede the actions necessary to improve the efficiency of EDH. This risk
is high, as past efforts by all main international donors, including USAID, the World Bank and
the IDB have failed. To mitigate that risk, we have proposed that donors impose strict
conditions to fund the full program. Specifically, we believe that unless some key reforms are
implemented during the first three years of the proposed program, all future activities not be
supported. The analysis was done without consultation with key stakeholders and could be
considered less than what a donor would do at the identification stage in the project
development cycle. The next step would be to discuss with the GOH, potential donors, and all
other main stakeholders.
22
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