The Whole System Approach tool (WSAT) has been prepared by the Infrastructure and Cities for Economic Development (ICED) Facility for the Growth and Resilience Department (GRD) of the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID).

WSAT is a tool to help advisers to analyse and understand the range of issues within the energy (and associated) sectors, to allow them to take a holistic view on the energy sector and achieve the aims of the WSA.

The WSAT aims to provide guidance that covers a wide range of activities across the energy sector. However, the wide-ranging nature of the energy sector, and its interactions with a large number of other sectors, means that it is impossible to be exhaustive.

The guidance presented in this WSA tool provides a framework for advisers to perform comprehensive analysis across the energy sector. The intention is not for advisers to perform analysis across all parts of the energy sector. Rather, advisers should perform targeted analysis, and the WSA tool provides guidance to encourage advisers to consider the most relevant issues.

The WSA tool builds on UK Government internal and published documentation, including the UK Industrial strategy, DFID Economic Development Strategy, DFID’s Energy Policy Framework and Whole Systems Approach narrative. The WSA tool is a live document and should be considered alongside examples of analysis performed by advisers using the WSA.

The views and opinions expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any department of the UK Government.

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