Greenhouse Gas Abatement through Energy Efficiency in the Electricity and Building Sectors

The following GEF-PAS proposal, namely Greenhouse Gas Abatement through Energy Efficiency in the Electricity and Building Sectors and Biofuel Applications, attempts to mitigate climate change impacts on Samoa.

(i) ISSUE: As an LDC, and a small island developing state (SIDS), Samoa is particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change, and hence climate change mitigation is now a priority for Samoa. The specific nature of this vulnerability is further outlined in Samoa’s National Greenhouse Gas Abatement Strategy - 2007-2017, NAPA, Initial National Communication under the UNFCCC and the recently completed Climate Risk Profile (CRP). The CRP includes an analysis of current and future climate risks for Samoa, based on historic climate data and outputs from global climate models. Significantly, the CRP also confirms anecdotal evidence that the effects of climate change are already being recorded in Samoa. Samoa is also heavily dependent on imported petroleum products for its energy needs. In the electricity sector, the demand continues to increase because of increased construction around the country. Therefore, climate change mitigation is essential for Samoa. Reducing GHG emissions through energy efficiency on both the supply side and demand side is considered most prudent, but an additional dual focus on the building sector and biofuel development is also necessary to effectively mitigate GHGs in Samoa. (ii) HOW THE PROJECT SEEKS TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE: As there is now clear evidence in Samoa that the EPC (Electric Power Corporation) is facing possibly about a 20% leakage of electricity produced (supply side), measures need to be taken immediately to muster stakeholder support, improve the efficiency of diesel generation and transmission efficiencies, and reduce electricity demand through energy conservation in households, improved energy-efficient building designs and even increased use of renewable energies such as biofuels. This proposed MSP Project will, therefore, take an integrated approach by implementing mitigation activities in two key sectors identified, namely both the energy and building sectors, because of the need to strategically develop capacity across these two key sectors simultaneously under an integrated coordination mechanism. The National Environmental Board will be charged with overseeing the implementation of this MSP Project and maximizing Samoa’s overall energy efficiency within the electricity and building sectors. This MSP Project will, therefore, focus on building capacity and compliance at the national and village levels through the introduction of regulatory framework for the mitigation of GHG emissions. (iii) GLOBAL BENEFITS: Whilst Samoa needs to act locally in terms of climate change adaptation and continue to meet its obligations under the Kyoto Protocol, it will also need to simultaneously mitigate GHG emissions whilst reducing demand for fossil fuels in Samoa, both approaches having considerable global benefits.