Senegal is strengthening its energy planning capabilities to support electricity sector expansion, attract investment and close the energy access gap, as the country faces rising power demand and fiscal constraints.

The initiative comes as Senegal seeks to provide electricity to the remaining 15% of its population, mainly in remote, last-mile communities, while advancing its sustainable energy and economic objectives.

In 2023, Senegal’s Ministry of Energy, Petroleum and Mines (MEPM) launched a comprehensive Energy Planning Capacity Building Programme, supported by the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena), GIZ, the Government of Norway, the Government of Wallonia and Climate Compatible Growth (CCG).

The programme, now concluding its second phase, has focused on building practical planning skills across around a dozen national institutions and establishing an official government energy planning and modelling unit.

Participants developed long-term electricity demand projections, capacity expansion models and rural electrification scenarios using data-driven tools.

The resulting analysis has informed recommendations on wind and solar capacity additions and supported revisions to Senegal’s national climate commitments.

Since the programme’s first phase, more than 800 MW of committed solar PV and battery storage projects have been added to the pre-2030 pipeline.

Senegal has also established its first official cross-institutional task force for long-term power sector planning and created a harmonised electricity sector database.

By the end of the second phase, the country had gained ownership of three planning tools covering demand projections, electricity capacity expansion and geo-resolved rural electrification analysis.

Geospatial modelling has helped identify where grid expansion is most viable and where off-grid solutions could provide affordable and reliable electricity, strengthening the government’s case for further investment.

“This very important work has enabled Senegal to establish a base of integrated planning for the electricity sector across the entire value chain, including production, transmission, distribution and rural electrification, using highly sophisticated and open-source tools. We have achieved results and intend to continue this work to attract more investment and implement projects for universal access to energy,” said Fatou Tiam Sow, Director of Planning at the Senegal Ministry of Energy and Mines.

At the closing ceremony in Dakar, Irena Innovation and Technology Centre Director Mike Enskat said, “We are proud that this programme has been able to act as a critical component in the energy planning process for Senegal, and that our support can continue with a new phase, to further institutionalise energy planning practice in Senegal and drive the energy transition.”  -OGN/TradeArabia News Service