Clean energy transitions in the Greater Horn of Africa

The greater Horn of Africa defined in this report as Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda represents nearly a quarter of sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP, and is ome to some of the fastest growing economies, but also many areas that face ongoing conflict and instability. Energy consumption has grown at 3% per year over the last decade, but the region remains energy-deprived. Half the region’s population lacks access to electricity and only one in six people have access to modern cooking fuels. However, average mask large disparities in the region Kenya has on the of the highest access rate in Sub-Saharan Africa, while other countries lack centralised grid infrastructure altogether. Total energy demand in the region was 120 Mteo (mega tonnes of oil equivalent) in 2020 less than the combined energy consumption of Belgium and the Netherlands but with ten times the number of people. Bioenergy often in the form of gathered firewood and agricultural waste meets around 80% of demand. Most modern energy demand is met through oil products, largely for transport, and electricity, largely in households and industry. The region’s power sector has doubled its output over the past decade, and is one of the world’s most renewable systems today, with over 85% of generation coming from renewables. Large hydropower projects in Ethiopia, Sudan and Kenya dominate the power mix today; the region has massive, under-utilised potential for solar, wind, and geothermal as well. Many of the region’s smaller countries, historically dependent on imports, are installing their first large-scale solar PV projects, such as the Juba PV farm in South Sudan. Energy infrastructure has struggles to keep pace with the region’s growth- grids remain unreliable, many countries remain dependent on costly fuel imports, and utilities are in financial duress