Hydrogen energy economist consultant

Result of Service

Objective
This consultancy aims to support implementing the GCF Readiness project "Advancing a Regional Approach to the Green Hydrogen Economy in Latin America and the Caribbean" for Honduras. The consultant will design, plan and implement the national green hydrogen working group, support the successful delivery of the GCF-related capacity-building sessions by engaging with public counterparts, other public agencies and the private sector when needed, develop national baseline assessment reports, including baseline situations of sectors that may benefit from green hydrogen and barriers and opportunities for Country and develop the national hydrogen strategy.

The consultant shall coordinate actions with the project "Exchange of experiences and technical information on green hydrogen and geothermal energy between Honduras, El Salvador, Colombia and Germany" implemented by GIZ to create synergies and improve the efficiency of the results.

Output 1. Relevant country stakeholders have established adequate capacity, systems and networks to support the planning, programming and implementation of GCF-funded activities (outcome 1.3). The consultant will liaise with the relevant national actors (which may include executing entities, civil society organisations and the private sector), specifically women and indigenous groups, to create /strengthen the national interinstitutional working group for green hydrogen. The consultant is expected to prepare the documentation needed for the successful delivery of the meetings and be in constant communication with the leading entities of the government. The consultant is expected to support the national inter-institutional working group to engage regionally with the other members of the Readiness project.

Activity 1.1 (1.3.A1) Establish or strengthen national inter-institutional working groups on the hydrogen economy in Honduras. All activities will be delivered in agreement with the national counterpart.

1.1.1 Analyse the national green hydrogen stakeholders assessing their impact using the influence vs interest methodology. The consultant is expected to contact all stakeholders to interview them and then evaluate their impact.

Output 2. Develop or enhance strategic frameworks to address policy gaps, improve sectoral expertise, and enhance enabling environments (Outcome 2.2). The consultant, supported by the Hydrogen economy planning expert, will analyse the country's opportunities towards green hydrogen and develop the national hydrogen strategy in coordination with the national decarbonisation goals. The consultant is expected to analyse, at least, the economic, energy and environmental sectors to guide the planning process. The consultant is expected to liaise with the leading entities in Honduras and the interinstitutional working group.

Activity 2.1 (2.2.A1) Conduct the national baseline study to assess hydrogen production, use, transformation, transport and commercialisation situation and possibilities.

2.1.1 Assess the potential in hydrogen usage, transformation, transport, import, and commercialisation, including the green hydrogen projects in the country, with the cost-effectiveness of the possible usage of green hydrogen. This study will analyse, at least,
• For transformation (production of e-fuels and green ammonia)
• For transportation (pipeline, trucks and regional and international hydrogen transportation route and bunkering possibilities.
• For end use (industry decarbonisation possibilities, including steel and chemical industries and refineries; transportation decarbonisation possibilities, including shipping, aviation, and heavy-duty vehicles; heating; and power generation).

2.1.2 Analyse the regulations, policies, and standards relevant to hydrogen use using the regulatory impact assessment (RIA) that supports decision-making with evidence on the advantages and disadvantages of alternative options in terms of their likely impacts on stakeholders and outcomes.

2.1.3 Identification of barriers to hydrogen usage, transformation, transport, import, and commercialization grouped by legal, financial, technological, market, innovation and social, including gender and indigenous groups approach.

Activity 2.2 (2.2.A2) Design and conduct, in collaboration with the local hydrogen energy consultant, at least one national workshop in close collaboration with the government, private sector entities (including the financial sector), academia, and civil society organisations to present the baseline information and convey it to public and private actors.

Activity 2.3 (2.2.A2) Design, agree and write, in collaboration with the local hydrogen energy consultant, the national hydrogen economy strategy, including i) short-, mid-and long-term strategic goals and recommendations, ii) linkages to the NDC, iii) gender and indigenous people approach and iv) an action plan to implement the proposed Strategy.

2.3.1 Write the draft national hydrogen economy strategy based on the results of activity 2.1, the workshop delivered in activity 2.2, and the meetings held in output1.

Output 3. National coordination and engagement, communication and capacity building is strengthened (activity 1.1, 2.3, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3)

3.1.1 Design, plan, and deliver at least six (6) meetings, in collaboration with, in collaboration with the local hydrogen energy consultant, to i) deploy the inter-institutional working group by supporting the leading public entity to engage the relevant actors and ii) discuss the national green hydrogen strategy.

3.1.2 Support the experts hired by the project in i) analysing business cases of hydrogen production and usage in Honduras, ii) advising on topics and gathering the relevant stakeholders from the country's public and private sectors and iii) defining and design of the communication campaign and the related communication material.

3.1.3 Support the coordination of activities within the H2LAC platform, including the dissemination and participation of the online webinars, the dissemination of the technical reports and knowledge-sharing activities to foster regional collaboration.

The consultant will be responsible for the following:
• Collecting and processing the data necessary to develop the aforementioned studies.
• Conduct interviews or generate the necessary information for the development of the aforementioned studies.
• Create, promote and maintain relationships with the national public, private and civil society actors for their involvement in the project. Actively seek feedback from all sectors on the proposals to be created.
• Organise the logistics and content of the national workshops, with special attention to the appropriate involvement of all participants, considering the final objective of the workshop.
• Attend to the needs of the national authorities and provide technical advice when required, ensuring their active involvement in the proposals presented.
• Observe national interests and priorities in the formulation of proposals, studies and conclusions developed.
• Attend meetings, calls, and guidelines provided by the UN Environment Project Manager, the Regional Support Consultant, the Designated National Authority of Honduras to the Green Climate Fund, and the project's technical advisory team.
• Comply with the deadlines stipulated by the UN Environment Project Manager.
• Attend and support the coordination process for the strengthening of civil society and private sector initiatives.
• Actively participate in the H2LAC community of practice by generating the content in coordination with the other national consultants and the regional coordinators.
• Encourage the participation and exchange of experiences and knowledge of government authorities, civil society and the private sector, promoting leadership on issues in which they have progress.

Outputs

Activity 1.1.1
Product No. 1: A document containing One (1) national hydrogen stakeholders' analysis, both public and private, including the summary of interviews and the impact assessment based on their influence and interest.

Activity 2.1.1
Product No. 2: A document containing One (1) green hydrogen national potential study, including i) a green hydrogen use, transformation, transport and commercialization, ii) a list of projects and iii) an assessment of the most cost-effective solutions.

Activity 2.1.2
Product No. 3: A document containing One (1) green hydrogen regulation, policy and standard analysis based on the UN regulatory impact analysis (RIA)

Activity 2.1.3
Product No. 4: A document containing One (1) green hydrogen use, transformation, transport, import, and commercialization barrier analysis grouped by legal, financial, technological, market, innovation and social, including gender and indigenous groups approach.

Activity 2.2
Product No. 5: One (1) report of the national workshop delivered to present the baseline information, including the objectives, attendees' information (separated by gender and affiliation), presentations made, and agreements reached.

Activity 2.3.1
Product No. 6: A document containing One (1) national green hydrogen strategy including i) short-, mid-and long-term strategic goals and recommendations, ii) linkages to the NDC, iii) gender and indigenous people approach and iv) an action plan to implement the proposed Strategy

Activity 3.1.1. 3.1.2 and 3.1.3
Product No. 7: One (1) report of the support activities delivered, including i) the meeting held with country stakeholders, ii) the meetings held with project experts and iii) the webinars disseminated, attended and presented within H2LAC platform.

Work Location

HOME BASED

Expected duration

18 MONTHS

Duties and Responsibilities

Purpose

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment.

The UNEP Latin America and the Caribbean Office (LACO), located in Panama City, Panama, works closely with the 33 countries of the region and its activities are integrated into the Medium-Term Strategy, and the Programme of Work approved by the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA).

The green hydrogen generation technical potential in Latin America and the Caribbean is significant, estimated at 1,114 EJ (exajoule) of green hydrogen produced at a cost under USD 1.5/kg by 205015. Therefore, green hydrogen can be produced using the clean and renewable energy sources available in the region.

Beyond the potential for its production, using hydrogen as an energy source can also result in a myriad of benefits for the region. The transport sector is the highest consumer of fossil fuels and the leading source of fossil-fuel-related Green House GAS (GHG)emissions (15% of all regional GHG emissions in 2018). Diesel and gasoline are the main fuels used in transport, accounting for 83% of the total energy use. Hydrogen can be used for all transportation electrification, fuel cell electric cars, trucks, buses, forklifts, ferries and ships, and aircraft. Globally, some 8,000 fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) were sold in 2020.
The project, "Advancing a Regional Approach to the Green Hydrogen Economy in Latin America and the Caribbean" aims to create the right conditions to promote the hydrogen economy through the exchange of experiences at a regional level, ending with the preparation of i) national strategic planning and ii= funding proposals that could be submitted to the GCF and other international financial sources This project is being implemented in 7 countries in parallel.

In this sense, it is required to hire a hydrogen energy economist consultant to develop the results, explained below.

The consultant will work from home, visiting the National Energy Secretary in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and will be supervised by UNEP Program Official Regional Coordinator for Energy Efficiency for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Qualifications/special skills

Qualifications Required:

ACADEMIC:
- A Bachelor's Degree in economics, statistics, public policy, economics, energy or a closely related field. A Master’s degree in a relevant field in economics, energy, transport, public policy or in another relevant field is desired.

PROFESSIONAL:
- - A minimum of five (5) years of relevant work experience in statistics, policy or energy economics in Honduras is required.
- - Experience working and collaborating as an international consultant in a relevant field is an advantage.
- - Experience working in the energy sector and electricity sub-sector in Honduras is an asset.
- - Experience working in planning and/or modelling in the energy sector is an asset.
- - Experience in public policies, strategies and/or productive chains in Honduras is an asset.

LANGUAGE:
- Fluency in Spanish is required.
- Fluency in English is required.

SPECIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:
- Demonstrates integrity and ethical standards.
- Mature judgment and initiative.
- Absolute commitment to confidentiality.
- Ability to work independently; take the initiative to judge priorities and organise work accordingly.
- Intermediate knowledge and ability to use the set of standard applications (MS Office).
- Strong interpersonal skills and highly developed cultural sensitivity to communicate with all levels of staff and external clients, both orally and in writing.
- Excellent organisational skills, ability to perform multiple tasks and attention to detail, initiative and independence.
- Ability to innovate, combining methodological approaches and data from various levels and
disciplines including economics, finance, development, and mitigation.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.