ENERGY POLICY ACTIVITY (EPA)

Summary

Through its Energy Policy Activity, USAID helps Bosnia and Herzegovina attract investment and integrate its energy market into regional and EU markets. USAID also assists the BiH Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations and relevant entity ministries in improving energy strategies and action plans. USAID is helping BiH develop a cyber security roadmap for the energy sector.

Details

Aim

USAID’s Energy Policy Activity is helping BiH coordinate, manage, and improve transparency in the gas and electricity sectors while providing targeted technical assistance to improve and simplify the energy policy environment and legal framework. Through this project, USAID develops and/or recommends legislative and other measures at all levels of government to ensure that the BiH energy sector is compliant with EU requirements. The project also supports a strong public outreach and awareness program to promote a market-based energy sector and educate the general public about the benefits of the changes taking place in the energy sector.

Creating a transparent and competitive legislative and regulatory framework and integrating BiH’s energy sector into regional and EU markets is essential for encouraging Western investors to engage in local energy projects, which will have the additional benefits of diversifying sources of natural gas, preventing corruption, and enhancing energy security.

USAID is helping BiH develop a cyber security roadmap for the energy sector.

Context

The development of the energy sector implies the use of modern technologies and sophisticated technical solutions that have a specific IT infrastructure. Taking into account the great importance of this sector on society development, it represents a key communication infrastructure that needs to be protected inside cyberspace. Due to those interconnections it is subject to various forms of threats that can have a negative impact and huge consequences for the security of the energy sector. Cyber security of the main energy sector infrastructure is becoming more important for security of energy supply, distribution, transmission and storage.