Why is South Sudan facing a serious energy crisis?

South Sudan faces a serious energy crisis due to a number of factors, including devastating conflicts (e.g. 1955-172, 1983-2005 & 2013–present) and reliance on the fossil fuel source. The country has the lowest energy consumption rate in Africa and the highest cost of producing energy (World Bank, 2016).

Does South Sudan have electricity?

The war has destroyed South Sudan’s limited infrastructure, triggering an economic implosion. What electricity it has—and it is the least electrified country in the world—depends entirely on imported diesel to run generators.

Does South Sudan need electricity to drive industrial development?

Electricity prices in South Sudan are twice the prices of electricity in Africa and are five times the prices in other developing countries (Ranganathan and Briceno–Garmendia, 2011). As a resource rich country that needs to attract direct foreign investment, South Sudan definitely needs power to drive industrial development.

Can you buy electricity from neighbors in South Sudan?

Buying from the neighbors requires installing a grid infrastructure to transmit electricity to South Sudan. While it is easy to connect the border towns such as Nimule and Renk, it can be difficult to extend these grids to distant places such as Juba, Malakal, Wau, and any other major population and economic centers in the interior.

Could SSEC build a power grid in South Sudan?

In the context of South Sudan, SSEC could build the grids or upgrade and expand its current grid systems in towns through which it can purchase power from individual firms and households and in turn sell it to those who are in need.

How much solar energy does South Sudan have?

South Sudan receives about 8 hours of sunshine daily, providing an estimated solar energy capacity of 436W/M2/year (REEP, 2013). Similarly, wind energy density ranges between 285 and 380 W/M2 (REEP, 2013). Both the solar sunshine duration and wind density meet the threshold required to produce high quality electricity.