Energy planning

energy information, establishing an energy library, and training staff in energy data collection and analysis. The Ministry of National Economy"s (MNE) Energy Task Force (ETF) will implement the project under a Special Assistant for Energy. Initially, the ETF will assess the cost-effectiveness and in-country market potential of various energy options and the potential impact of several general energy planning and development options, such as energy pricing, conservation, the introduction of renewable technologies, investment incentives, and government investment programs. While renewable energy options will be assessed on an on-going basis, solar hot water heating for institutional application and wind electric conversion systems have been pre-selected for field testing. Products domestically available and suitable for domestic fabrication will be stressed. To complement current data collection in the industrial, agricultural, and transportation sectors, the Tunisian National Statistics Institute will collect and analyze data on end-use energy consumption. Efforts will focus on the methodology of data collection, especially the definition of what data are useful for energy planning purposes. To provide GOT energy planners with important current information, the MNE"s library will be augmented, with special emphasis on newsletters, technical journals, special reports of international organizations, and monthly abstracts published by the National Technical Information Service. Library staff will be trained in procurement and other library procedures. To upgrade the GOT"s institutional capability for energy planning and energy price formulation, six personnel from ETF and other GOT agencies will receive 1-4 months of U.S. training in analytical techniques and U.S. approaches to energy planning. Finally, a series of short-term, in-country seminars will be offered GOT energy planners. An energy planner and short-term experts will be contracted to help with implementation.