SKAT provides advice on energy transition aspects in SECO focus countries

SKAT supports the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) in integrating sustainable ener­gy solutions in different country contexts to accelerate energy transition. This substantial mandate on renewable energy and energy efficiency covers all SECO focus countries with ongoing and planned energy projects and runs from 2022 to 2027.

The most extensive aspect of the mandate is to provide critical guidance and advice to specific projects. This started with the Ghana Solar Photovoltaic based Net-Metering project. The Tunisia Smart Grid Development Project and further projects will follow. With these projects, SECO attempts to leave the beaten path of financing large infrastructure projects behind and to support a conceptual realign­ment of the energy sector in the partner countries instead. This includes the general promotion of re­newable energy and energy efficiency, among others the integration of Variable Renewable Energies (VRE) into the grid, smart grids and other innovative approaches and technologies. A second task is to provide strategic advisory services on the above-mentioned topics and other sustainable energy topics, but also to foster networks for Swiss companies and institutions.

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Furthermore, SKAT supports the development of project pipelines in the SECO focus countries. For instance, in May 2023, the mandate leader Hedi Feibel conducted a scoping study in Tajikistan to assess possible future activities to be financed by SECO (including an option focusing on energy efficiency in buildings), while a scoping study in Albania focused on dam safety.

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In 2025, SKAT implemented evaluations of the “Smart Energy Municipalities Project (SEMP) in Albania” and the “Municipal Energy Efficiency and Management Project (MEEMP)” in Serbia in line with the OECD DAC criteria, with the overall objective to provide lessons learned and recommendations for any possible follow-up projects.
In the same year, we elaborated a global study on “site development and international procurement of synthetic energy sources” which analysed opportunities and challenges with regard to synthetic fuel production for Switzerland.

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Finally, we appraise investment plans (under the Climate Investment Fund Renewable Energy Integra­tion CIF REIP Programme, SECO being one of the donors). Here we help SECO evaluate investment plans (e.g. for Brazil, Mali and Kenya) and project proposals to ensure they are viable and effective.

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We are implementing the mandate together with experts from our consortium partner, the German energynautics GmbH.

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