Written by: Renewable
Energy & Energy Efficiency Partnership
Total installed
electricity
capacity (2008): 65 MW
Thermal : 93.3%
Hydroelectric:
4.4%
Total primary energy
supply (2008): 5,352 ktoe
Biomass: 96%
Oil and oil
products: 3.98%
Hydroelectric:
0.02%
Somalia
has the lowest consumption of modern forms of energy in Sub-Saharan Africa. Somalia has
long relied on fuel wood and charcoal, and imported petroleum to meet its
energy needs. Firewood and charcoal are the major sources of energy, accounting
for the vast majority of the country’s total energy consumption.
There are no large dams in Somalia, with diesel generators
being the main source of energy.
Total electricity generation in 2008 was 326 GWh, with
consumption being 293 GWh in the same year. Renewable sources contributed 15
GWh, or 4.4%, to this.
RELIANCE
Without proven oil reserves and only 200 billion cubic feet
of proven natural gas reserves, Somalia
has no hydrocarbon production up to now. Exploration activity is hindered by
the internal security situation and the multiple sovereignty issues. Somalia’s
petroleum consumption was estimated at 5,000 bbl/day in 2010.
The country relies heavily on imported petroleum for
production of electricity. The country had one oil refinery, constructed with
the aid of Iraq,
which ceased operation with the onset of war in 1991.
Oil imports estimated at 3,827 bbl/day (2008).
EXTEND NETWORK
Somalia
is currently divided into three regions; Somaliland, Puntland and South and Central Somalia. The regions have separate electricity
networks. In Puntland, electricity is mainly accessible to major towns like
Bosaso.
In South and Central Somalia, 60% of households in Mogadishu and 23% of
households in Merka have access to electricity for lighting. 95% of the poorest
households in the country do not have access to electricity.
CAPACITY CONCERNS
Rural and urban energy needs are primarily wood and charcoal
based, though there is an increasing use of oil-based energy in urban areas.
With a growth in urbanization, combined with the return of the Somali Diaspora,
energy demands will increase. The view is that as an imperative for economic
growth and nation building, sustainable sources of energy will be needed,
combined with more efficient use of existing energy sources. The destruction of
electricity infrastructure during the long period of civil conflict, and the
ensuing slow pace of rehabilitation of the national electricity grid, has led
many in the country to utilise self-generation, mostly from diesel sources.
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Somalia is rich in energy resources, having unexploited
reserves of oil and natural gas, untapped hydropower, extensive geothermal
energy resources, many promising wind sites, and abundant sunshine, which can
produce solar power. The major obstacles to development of these potentially
available energy resources are political, financial and institutional.
Traditional biomass fuels such as firewood and charcoal, primarily used in
rural and poor communities, account for 82% of the country’s total energy
consumption.
Solar
Average insolation stands at 5-7 kWh/ m2/day. With over
3,000 hours of high and constant sunlight annually, Somalia is ideally placed to
utilise solar energy. Solar resources have been utilised for off-grid
generation in the country, as well as for water heating for municipal
buildings. Solar cooking has also seen some uptake in the country, and solar power
is seen as the energy source of choice for the rehabilitation of many municipal
buildings in the country, particularly health centres.
Wind
Wind speeds vary from 3-11.4 m/s. Four 50 kW turbines were
installed in Mogadishu in 1988, Wind energy has also been utilised for water
pumping, with installations made by the UN Trusteeship Administration of
Somalia from as early as the 1940s. The country has large areas of shallow sea
along its coastline, particularly suitable for off-shore wind power, with the
added benefit that this resource is close to a number of major load centres,
including Mogadishu
and Berbera. Studies estimate that approximately 50% of the land area of the
country has suitable wind speeds for power generation and 95% could benefit,
and profit, from replacing diesel-powered water pumps with wind systems.
Biomass
In 1985, wooded areas in Somalia
were estimated to be about 39 million hectares – roughly 60% of Somalia’s land
area. Due to overexploitation these figures have reduced significantly. In
2001, statistics indicate that the forest cover may have been as low as 10%.
Solid and liquid biomass options in Somalia still hold a significant
potential, however, primarily in the form of crop and animal wastes, and marine
biomass. Sustainable charcoal production methods could also be used to great
effect in the country, as current charcoal production is causing significant
environmental impacts.
Geothermal
Available data indicates that the geothermal energy
potential is too low to be commercially exploited for power generation.
Hydropower
Potential is estimated at 100-120 MW. As of 1985, this
hydropower potential was largely untapped, with only 4.8 MW exploited on the
lower Juba valley (pre-war estimates).
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Various NGOs and charity groups, including the UN Division
for Sustainable Development, have been active in the country promoting energy
efficiency, particularly in the form of solar cookers, more efficient biomass
stoves, and promoting more efficient charcoal manufacture. A significant
proportion of the electricity generated in the country is done so through
private diesel generators, often purchased second-hand.
Excerpt from Country Energy Profile of Somalia on reegle.info
Source: afribiz.info
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