South Sudan Mobile Outdoor Power Supply

Image: The recently launched 20MW solar energy plant in South Sudan. Credit: Ezra Group A public-private partnership in South Sudan has launched the country's first major solar power plant and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in the capital Juba, where it is expected to provide electricity to thousands of homes.

Most of the country's current energy production comes from generators that burn imported diesel, a costly method both economically and environmentally. According to the World Bank, only 8.4% of the population had reliable access to power and electricity in 2022, leaving the door wide open to produce much-needed renewable energy in South Sudan.

Its role as a power utility is expected to intensify as programmes to increase electricity access in South Sudan are implemented. It is proposed under the Electricity Bill 2015 as the regulatory entity for the electricity sector in South Sudan. It would function as the energy regulator whose functions would include the creation of regulations.

There are about fourteen of-grid energy companies in South Sudan, and their services include i) selling solar products, ii) engineer-ing, procurement, and construction (EPC), iii) indepen-dent power production (IPPs) and iv) developing mini-grids.

Because South Sudan is still in the beginning stages of their infrastructural development, there is a rare opportunity to move forward and address the issue of energy poverty by building sustainable models of electrification, like solar power, without having to dismantle an already existing energy foundation.

The second hurdle is the lack of awareness, with 8% of urban and rural populations reporting a lack of knowledge about solar devices. The third barrier to greater penetration of solar devices in South Sudan is poor consumer perceptions of solar product quality.