Leadership Team
Dr. Ramón Nadira, CEO of Grid Advisors, LLC
Dr. Ramón Nadira, an electrical engineer, is a founder and principal consultant with Grid Advisors LLC. He is a specialist in planning, designing, and operating electricity transmission and distribution (T&D) systems. He has worked throughout the world and for such multilateral institutions as the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank as well as for several commercial lending banks and investment firms.
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Dr. Nadira is trusted by investors and has conducted technical due diligence to attract finance to power sector projects worldwide. For about 35 years now, he has provided technical and strategic consulting services to utilities, governments, regulators, independent project developers, and the financial community in domestic and international engagements in the energy industry.
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Dr. Nadira has a deep technical understanding of network planning and grid expansion at the utility and national and international levels. For example, in Central America, he led a group of experts in reviewing the technical and economic feasibility studies presented to the IDB in support of a $500 million loan application to develop the proposed 500-kV SIEPAC tie in Central America (from Guatemala to Panamá.) There, he proposed an innovative planning approach for determining the optimal interconnection solution which was finally implemented. He also provided technical advice on the Tunisia-Italy undersea interconnection and was part of a team that was engaged by the World Bank to examine global experiences in private sector-led investments (such as public-private partnerships, PPPs) in transmission and their applicability within the Sub-Saharan African (SSA) context.
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Dr. Nadira has helped plan and design transmission and distribution systems in more than 10 developing countries. In Afghanistan, Dr. Nadira was engaged by USAID to develop short-term and medium-term expansion plans for the distribution system of the city of Kabul. Similarly, in Belize, he led the planning of Belize Electricity Limited’s distribution system. In Lithuania, Dr. Nadira assessed the technical condition of the electric power transmission and distribution networks. In Tanzania and Gambia, Dr. Nadira helped restructure the energy sectors which involved reviewing transmission and distribution assets and operations for planning and determining expansion requirements, including those for rural electrification.
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He has also conducted technical audits and reviews for over 30 power delivery companies in more than 25 countries. For example, he advised on potential reform options for Communauté Electrique du Bénin (CEB, Benin/Togo). This involved evaluating the potential impact of the options on the cross-border electricity trade and the functioning of the West Africa Power Pool (‘WAPP’). In Zambia, he provided technical consulting services to support a private investor in its investigation into a potential investment involving an electricity utility in that country. He performed similar work for two power delivery utilities in the USA. In Nigeria, he assessed the privatization of electricity distribution companies, looking at the networks’ current technical performance, and the costs of improving service quality.
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Dr. Nadira’s career also demonstrates his expertise in electricity-related regulatory issues. For example, for the Office of Utilities Regulation of Jamaica, he conducted a management and operational audit of the loss-reducing electricity efficiency improvement fund. Working with Belize Electricity Limited, Dr. Nadira directed a cost of service and tariff study, which helped to develop and implement an efficient rate structure and appropriate tariff levels for all customers. In another project, Dr. Nadira assisted Fundelec, the technical arm of the Venezuelan electricity regulator, in the design of a new economic regime for the country of Venezuela according to the provisions of the then new electricity law.
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Dr. Nadira holds an Electrical Engineering degree from Universidad Simon Bolivar in Venezuela, a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering and applied physics, and a Doctor of Philosophy in systems engineering, the latter two from Case Western Reserve University in the United States.
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He has been the instructor of numerous courses presented to domestic as well as international audiences. In addition, Nadira has received numerous honors and awards and is a recognized expert in electricity transmission and distribution planning, having authored over 45 papers on the technical and business aspects of power delivery.
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Dr. Nadira speaks English and Spanish (mother tongue), and has a working knowledge of Arabic, Portuguese, and Italian.