Sector Results and Learning:

Energy

This Energy Sector Results and Learning page is a repository of evidence generated by all MCC-funded energy interventions. To promote learning and inform future program design, this page captures monitoring data from key common indicators, showcases recent and relevant evaluations, and includes all agency lessons from completed energy evaluations to-date.

What Do We Invest In?

MCC has funded $1.8 billion in energy interventions as of September 2024. These interventions fall into the following categories: off-grid power infrastructure; on-grid power infrastructure; other energy infrastructure; and technical assistance.

  • Off-grid Power Infrastructure

    These programs support the provision of electricity to areas that are not reached by the grid. This includes mini-grids and individual systems, such as solar photovoltaic systems.

  • On-grid Power Infrastructure

    These programs address power generation, transmission, and distribution infrastructure needs to promote the accessible, reliable, and sustainable provision of electricity.

  • Other Energy Infrastructure

    These programs support non-electricity energy needs, including gas for cooking and heating, as well as energy efficient appliances.

  • Technical Assistance

    These programs complement infrastructure investments to support affordable, financially sustainable, and reliable electricity service provision.

What Have We Completed So Far?

MCC and its country partners develop and tailor Monitoring and Evaluation Plans for each program and country context. Within these country-specific plans, MCC uses common indicators to standardize measurement and reporting within certain sectors. See below for a subset of common indicators that summarize implementation achievements across all MCC energy investments as of September 2024.

  • 113

    megawatts of generation capacity added

  • 3,750

    megavolt amps of substation capacity added

  • 6,862

    kilometers of electricity lines upgraded or built

  • 44,507

    customer connections added by project

What Have We Achieved?

MCC commissions independent evaluations, conducted by third-party evaluators, for every project it funds. These evaluations hold MCC and country partners accountable for the achievement of intended results and also produce evidence and learning to inform future programming. They investigate the quality of project implementation, the achievement of the project objective and other targeted outcomes, and the cost-effectiveness of the project. The graphs below summarize the composition and status of MCC’s independent evaluations in the energy sector as of November 2024. Read on to see highlights of published interim and final evaluations. Follow the evaluation links to see the status of all planned, ongoing, and completed evaluations in the sector and to access the reports, summaries, survey materials, and data sets.

Created with Highcharts 11.2.0Evaluations by Type15 (65%)​15 (65%)8 (35%)​8 (35%)PerformanceImpact
Created with Highcharts 11.2.0No. of EvaluationsEvaluations by Status10​102​22​22​25​514​14PlanningDesignBaselineInterimFinalCompleted0246810121416
Created with Highcharts 11.2.0No. of ReportsInterim Reports - Expected and Actual Publication Date1​11​11​11​11​11​1PerformanceImpact201520182020202320250123
Created with Highcharts 11.2.0No. of ReportsFinal Reports - Expected and Actual Publication Date2​21​11​11​11​11​12​22​23​31​12​21​12​22​2PerformanceImpact20142015201720182019202020212022202320242025202601234

Highlighted Evaluations

What Have We Learned from Our Results?

To link the evidence from the independent evaluations with MCC practice, project staff produce an MCC Learning document at the close of each interim and final evaluation to capture practical lessons for programming and evaluation. Use the filters below to find lessons relevant to your evidence needs.

    • Liberia Compact
    • Mt. Coffee and Capacity Building and Sector Reform

    Donor coordination is critical to making the infrastructure a success.

    Donor coordination is critical to making the infrastructure a success. The evaluation found that the implementation of the Mount Coffee infrastructure was largely successful from a donor coordination perspective. The donors worked together to help the… read more

    • Liberia Compact
    • Mt. Coffee and Capacity Building and Sector Reform

    Due diligence is critical to infrastructure quality.

    Due diligence is critical to infrastructure quality. The Energy Project followed a different path compared with the other MCC projects. MCC joined other donors in rehabilitating the Mount Coffee Hydropower Plant. MCC bought into a design that was specified by… read more

    • Liberia Compact
    • Mt. Coffee and Capacity Building and Sector Reform

    Projects should continue to find new ways to plan for maintenance after the project ends.

    Projects should continue to find new ways to plan for maintenance after the project ends. The evaluation found that access to spare parts and maintenance of the infrastructure were complex issues to manage. Parts to maintain the infrastructure are either… read more

    • Liberia Compact
    • Mt. Coffee and Capacity Building and Sector Reform

    Streamline the number of evaluation questions to produce more focused evaluation reports.

    Streamline the number of evaluation questions to produce more focused evaluation reports. The evaluation of the Liberia Energy Project answered over a dozen questions across four different domains, which required a significant amount of data collection and… read more

    • Liberia Compact
    • Mt. Coffee and Capacity Building and Sector Reform

    Sustainability for a power utility requires a stable income stream.

    Sustainability for a power utility requires a stable income stream. The evaluation found continued, persistent energy theft in the energy sector. MCC could have had stronger conditions precedent around power theft. This may have helped the government better… read more

    • Benin Power Compact
    • Off-Grid Energy Access

    Carefully consider grantee financial capacity and targeted business models when structuring grants.

    Carefully consider grantee financial capacity and targeted business models when structuring grants. The original co-financing structure had developers paying most initial costs, and therefore shouldering a larger share of the risk when implementation was… read more

    • Benin Power Compact
    • Off-Grid Energy Access

    Consider the realities and uncertainties around implementation timelines when designing evaluations.

    Consider the realities and uncertainties around implementation timelines when designing evaluations. For grant facility projects, the short period of time between the authorization of grantees’ projects and implementation means that the window for collecting… read more

    • Benin Power Compact
    • Off-Grid Energy Access

    Implementing a grant facility in a nascent sector with a new regulatory framework is ambitious for MCC’s five-year timeline.

    Implementing a grant facility in a nascent sector with a new regulatory framework is ambitious for MCC’s five-year timeline. During design, MCC should carefully consider which targets can realistically be achieved during the life of a compact. Mini-grid… read more

    • Benin Power Compact
    • Off-Grid Energy Access

    MCC and Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) Monitoring & Evaluation teams should identify early on, in collaboration with stakeholders, ways to collect gender disaggregated Indicator Tracking Table (ITT) data for key outcome and output indicators.

    MCC and Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) Monitoring & Evaluation teams should identify early on, in collaboration with stakeholders, ways to collect gender disaggregated Indicator Tracking Table (ITT) data for key outcome and output indicators.… read more

    • Benin Power Compact
    • Off-Grid Energy Access

    Since evaluations cannot feasibly evaluate all grant facility grants, Evaluation Management Committees should strategically design evaluations to optimally assess the achievement of the project objective.

    Since evaluations cannot feasibly evaluate all grant facility grants, Evaluation Management Committees should strategically design evaluations to optimally assess the achievement of the project objective. The evaluation was redesigned to focus the impact… read more

    • Benin Power Compact
    • Off-Grid Energy Access

    Timely Millennium Challenge Account communication and guidance to grantees and stakeholders is critical.

    Timely Millennium Challenge Account communication and guidance to grantees and stakeholders is critical. Respondents representing several grantees and other stakeholders noted a deficit in communication on milestone payments, revisions, and processes. As it… read more

    • Benin Power Compact
    • Off-Grid Energy Access

    To ensure a timely and efficient implementation of a grant facility, project teams should coordinate early with partner donor organizations to secure outside financing opportunities for grantees.

    To ensure a timely and efficient implementation of a grant facility, project teams should coordinate early with partner donor organizations to secure outside financing opportunities for grantees. An early opportunity was missed to set up a loan guarantee with… read more

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How Have We Aggregated Learning Across the Sector?