USAID ENERGY PROGRAM YEAR 3 TRAINING PLAN

This objective is aligned with Georgia's commitment to the Energy Community Treaty (EnCT) and its goal of approximating with the European Union (EU). The program focuses on promoting the development of relevant infrastructure, increasing market integration, and gradual regulatory approximation towards key elements of the EnCT, as well as promoting the use of renewable energy sources. The USAID Energy Program will build the capacity of the Government of Georgia (GoG) and relevant institutions to evaluate the fiscal and long-term security impacts of regulatory changes, promote energy investment, primarily in Variable Renewable Energy (VRE) development. The program will provide assistance to local institutions to perform technical and other types of analyses and will provide adequate trainings to counterparts. Capacity building is a major part of the technical assistance to the sector, covering topics in the other four program tasks. The program plans to carry out 2 international Study Tours, 12 in-country RIA trainings, 5 in-country trainings, 2 trainings on "queuing methodologies" under task 3, and one international training related to VRE integration. The program will be involved in the full cycle of planning, implementation, and evaluation of study tours, with close collaboration with stakeholders during the planning process to evaluate their needs and estimate possible outcomes. The program's training plan for year 3 includes a series of training events focused on institutional strengthening and capacity building. These events are designed to build skills and capacity in developing Regulatory Impact Assessments (RIAs) on various rules and regulations, as well as to introduce participants to the legal framework of RIA. The training events will cover topics such as stakeholder consultation, problem definition, baseline scenario setting, policy objectives, and impact analysis. The training events are targeted at various organizations, including the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development (MoESD), the Parliament of Georgia, and the Georgian National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission (GNERC). The training events will be delivered in a remote mode as needed, with a proposed timing of April to September 2020. The responsible persons for the training events are Eka Nadareishvili and Sopio Kalabegishvili. The USAID Energy Program's training plan for year 3 aims to enhance the capacity of the Government of Georgia and relevant institutions to evaluate the fiscal and long-term security impacts of regulatory changes, promote energy investment, and develop a more competitive energy market. The program's training events are designed to build skills and capacity in developing RIAs, stakeholder consultation, problem definition, baseline scenario setting, policy objectives, and impact analysis.