Mini-grids Site Inspection Consultant

CrossBoundary Access

About the Firm

Founded in 2011, CrossBoundary is a mission-driven investment firm committed to unlocking the power of capital for sustainable growth and strong returns in underserved markets. CrossBoundary provides transaction and investment advisory services, having developed a specialized expertise in unleashing investment across all sectors in these markets. Our advisory clients include governments, development finance institutions, private equity firms, Fortune 100 companies, and research institutions. Learn more at www.crossboundary.com  

In 2019 CrossBoundary launched CrossBoundary Access, Africa’s first project finance fund for mini-grids. Building on the success of this first raise, CrossBoundary Access, closed  $25 million in new funding commitments (https://www.crossboundary.com/energy-access/announcement/) from ARCH Emerging Markets Partners Limited, Bank of America, and Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund in 2022. In September 2023, the platform secured an additional $10 million from AfDB’s Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA). CrossBoundary Access continues to raise and deploy a total of $150 million of blended project finance over the next three years to bring clean energy to one million people in Africa.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the solar mini-grid sector needs $187 billion to achieve universal energy Access by 2030. CrossBoundary Access believes project finance is key to unlocking the long-term, infrastructure-type capital that the mini-grid sector needs.

More information on CrossBoundary Access can be found at https://crossboundary.com/access/

Assignment Description

Purpose of the Assignment

The overall objective of the assignment is to provide technical support to CrossBoundary Access mini-grid projects in Nigeria. The consultant will carry out various technical support tasks for mini-grids and energy access projects. The main focus of the assignment will be the inspection of solar hybrid mini-grids at advanced stages of construction to ensure compliance with CrossBoundary Access technical standards. The assignment will also entail oversight of completion of construction works and confirmation of acceptance tests.

Specific Assignment Details

The assignment will involve site inspections, oversight completion of construction works, verification of productive users of energy, verification of commissioning, and confirmation of acceptance tests for batches of 15 CrossBoundary Access mini-grids currently in advanced stages of construction in Niger, Kogi, Ondo, and Nasarawa States in Nigeria.

The mini-grids have the following characteristics:

• 50-450 kWp sites with lithium-ion storage batteries and backup diesel generators

• Based in remote locations, an average of 2.5 hours' drive from state headquarters

• 200-5000 customers per mini-grid

• 3-12 km of medium voltage and low-voltage power distribution network

• 100-500kVA transformers

  Specific Duties and Responsibilities (the “Services”) of the Consultant

• Construction oversight: Confirm that construction has been completed in line with NERC regulations, World Bank Performance Based Grant (PBG) standards, and CrossBoundary Access Technical Standards Book (TSB)

• Provide technical oversight for mini-grids and energy access projects in advanced stages of construction when required.

• Review designs, calculations, and as-built drawings to confirm that infrastructure has been built according to approved drawings/plans and CrossBoundary Access technical standards.

• Oversight of construction progress of mini-grid infrastructure including generation plant (electrical, civil, and mechanical works) and power distribution network to ensure quality installations and workmanship.

• Oversight of project Environmental and Social Management Plan and its implementation on site.

• Oversight of progress to connect productive users of energy, such as individuals or businesses that use electricity to generate income and enhance productivity (e.g., grain milling, rice de-husking, welding, irrigation, oil processing, etc).

• Review and update CrossBoundary Access site inspection checklists for solar hybrid generation plants and Low Voltage (LV) and Medium Voltage (MV) power distribution networks required for conducting provisional acceptance inspections.

• Commissioning: Ensure projects are commissioned in accordance with CrossBoundary technical standards and results are compliant with all requirements

• Collaborate with developers’ technical teams to inspect mini-grids under construction, supervise provisional acceptance, and ensure compliance with CrossBoundary Access technical standards.

• Conduct site visits to CrossBoundary Access mini-grids in Niger, Ondo, Kogi, and Nasarawa states. If necessary, witness provisional acceptance tests and inspect for compliance with CrossBoundary Access technical standards.

• If required conduct site visits for non-mini-grid CrossBoundary Access projects, including battery rentals and mesh-grids in Nigeria, to inspect for compliance with CrossBoundary Access technical standards at commissioning phase.

• Collaborate with the developers’ ESG team to inspect and ensure ESG compliance in line with CrossBoundary Access’ Environmental and Social Management System.

• Provisional acceptance: Verify that projects meet provisional acceptance requirements and all non-conformities are rectified before certification and project completion

• Confirm acceptance tests by reviewing commissioning test results and flagging non-compliant installations, listing them as snags to be corrected before the Provisional Acceptance Certificate is issued. The consultant may request a repeat of a commissioning test once the snag has been rectified to ensure compliance with Access technical standards and ESG standards.

• Prepare a punch-lists detailing items that need to be corrected before issuance of the provisional acceptance certificate to the developer.

• Liaise with the developer to inspect the correction of snags and ensure all items on the punch list are resolved within the stipulated timelines.

• Sign-off on punch lists when snags have been rectified and approve the issuance of completion certificates.

  Duration of the Assignment

  The assignment is expected to commence on July 1, 2024, and will last for a maximum of 45 working days spread across 6 months. The consultant will be required to demonstrate his/her availability to undertake the assignment.

Location

The Consultant will be based in Lagos, Nigeria. Think you have what it takes but not sure you check every box? Research shows that while men apply to roles when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria, women often only apply when they meet every requirement. If you are passionate about what we're building, we want to hear from you! Equal Opportunity Employer

CrossBoundary is an equal opportunity employer. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request to our recruiting@crossboundary.com (human.resources@crossboundary.com)   

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