This is the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the UNDP-GEF Midterm Review (MTR) of the full-sized project titled Increasing Access to Clean and Affordable Decentralized Energy Services in Selected Vulnerable Areas of Malawi(PIMS#5270). The project is implemented by the Government of Malawi, through the Ministry of Natural Resources Energy and Mining with support from Global Environment Facility (GEF) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which is to be undertaken in year 2017. The project started on January 2016 and is in its third year of implementation. In line with the UNDP-GEF Guidance on MTRs, this MTR process was initiated before the submission of the second Project Implementation Report (PIR). This ToR sets out the expectations for this MTR. The MTR process must follow the guidance outlined in the document; Guidance for Conducting Midterm Reviews of UNDP-Supported, GEF-Financed Projects. The project was designed to: To increase access to clean energy in selected remote, rural areas in Malawi by promoting innovative, community-based mini-grid applications in cooperation with the private sector. The project’s outcomes are as follows: Outcome 1: Expansion of the Mulanje Electricity Generation Agency (MEGA) Micro-Hydro Power Plant. Outcome 1.1 Increasing the installed capacity of the Mulanje Electricity Generation Agency’s (MEGA) MHPP scheme. Outcome 1.2 Achieving MEGA’s business plan target of increasing the aggregate household energy savings among its customer base. Outcome 2: Replication of MEGA model via piloting of new clean energy mini-grid schemes in other areas of Malawi. Outcome 2.1 Investment in installed capacity of clean energy mini-grid schemes established, replicating the MEGA model and using a Build-Own-Operate (BOO) Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. Outcome 2.2 Increased the aggregate household energy savings among the customer base. Outcome 3: Institutional strengthening and capacity building for promotion of decentralized clean energy mini-grid applications across the country. Outcome 3.1 Increased capacity of key stakeholders, especially at the sub-national levels to effectively plan and implement clean energy mini-grids. Outcome 3.2 Increased awareness about relevant business models, policy and regulatory issues, and financing of mini-grids in the Malawian context. Outcome 3.3 Improved policy and regulatory environment to facilitate the sustainable development of mini-grids in Malawi. The UNDP-GEF project was developed soon after the start of implementation of the UNDP-supported project on Sustainable Energy Management (SEM), which was concluded in December 2016. The SEM project provided advisory support; assisted in updating policies; developed standards; and established coordination mechanisms and implementation arrangements. Another feature of the SEM project was the capacity building and training activities at the district level. In course of the MTR for the UNDP-GEF initiative, the consultants are expected to assess the SEM with regard to the activities which has direct bearing on the UNDP-GEF initiative. | 
