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An energy equation to solve
Energy is a fundamental pillar of any sustainable development policy. For a country like Senegal, access to abundant, reliable and affordable electricity is not only a matter of modern comfort: it is a sine qua non for industrialize the economy, strengthen national sovereignty and sustainably improve the well-being of people.
However, despite significant progress, Senegal remains largely dependent on imported fossil fuels, including heavy fuel oil and diesel, to supply its thermal power plants.
This dependency has a heavy impact on public finances, weakens the trade balance and exposes the country to international market volatility.
Worse still, it contributes to a steady increase in greenhouse gas emissions, in contradiction with the country's climate commitments.
This finding is all the more paradoxical as Senegal benefits from a sunshine among the most favorable in the world.
According to the World Bank,average solar irradiation over the whole territory exceeds 5.6 kWh/m2/day, a level that places the country among the best equipped in the world.
Yet this natural wealth remains dramatically underexploited: in 2023, the installed solar power covered only a tiny portion of the national needs.
By intelligently articulating its gas resources and exceptional sunshine, Senegal has the historic opportunity to become an African leader in clean, competitive and sovereign energy.
Status of the Senegalese electrical system
Electricity production and consumption
In 2023, Senegal's gross electricity production amounted to about 6 646 GWh. Once the transport and distribution losses were deducted, final consumption was estimated to be about 6 000 GWh.
These figures, although indicative of sustained growth, are still insufficient in the face of increasing demand, which increases by 6 to 8 per cent annually, due to urbanization, industrialization and rising standards of living.
The national electrification rate is close to 70%, but this average masks large disparities.
In urban areas, access to electricity often exceeds 90%, while in many rural areas, less than one in two people is connected to the grid.
This energy divide hinders local development, limits access to essential services (health, education, security) and increases territorial inequalities.
Strong reliance on fossil fuels
Senegal's energy mix remains dominated by imported fossil fuels. About 70% of electricity is produced from heavy fuel oil or diesel power plantsexpensive, polluting fuels and exposed to high price volatility in global markets.
Renewable energies, although growing, still represent only a minority in the mix:
- Solar photovoltaic 11 % of electricity production, despite very high potential.
- Wind 9.8%, mainly thanks to the Taïba N-diaye power plant (158.7 MW).
- Hydroelectricity : a marginal share from the dams of the Organisation for the Development of the Senegal River (OMVS).
System under stress in the face of structural challenges
Several structural challenges limit the performance and resilience of the electrical system:
- High cost Fuel-fired thermal production remains expensive and directly impacts the electricity tariff, reducing the competitiveness of companies.
- Volatility : import dependence weakens public finances and makes the country vulnerable to global energy crises.
- Increasing pressure on the network The rapid growth of demand puts constant pressure on existing infrastructure, which is struggling to keep up.
- Environmental impact CO2 emissions from the electricity sector are constantly increasing, in contradiction with Senegal's climate commitments.
Faced with these findings, a structural transformation of the energy mix appears not only as an economic necessity, but also as a social and environmental emergency.
Senegal's strategic energy assets
In a global context of energy transition, Senegal has several structural assets that can enable it to become a leading player in Africa in the production of clean, sustainable and competitive electricity.
Three major levers emerge: exceptional solar potential, strategic gas resources, and a geographical position conducive to regional integration.
Solar potential among the best in the world
Senegal's main asset lies in its solar deposit. With an average radiation level of more than 5.6 kWh/m2/day across the country, the country ranks among the best in the world in terms of sunshine.
This natural resource, free of charge and inexhaustible, offers a high energy efficiency: every kilowatt-peak (kWc) of installed solar panels can produce on average more than 1,600 kWh per year, a figure that far exceeds that of many European countries.
An ambitious solar development programme, reaching 5 gigawatt-peak (GWc) in the long term, would produce more than 8 terawatt hours (TWh) per year, more than the country's current total consumption.
This surplus production would not only cover future growth in demand, but also generate exportable surpluses.
Gas resources for transition
Recent discoveries of offshore natural gas (Grand Turtle Ahmeyim and Sangomar) represent a real strategic opportunity. These deposits, shared for some with Mauritania, make it possible to envisage a significant reduction in the country's dependence on imported fuels.
Natural gas, although fossil, emits significantly less CO2 than heavy fuel oil. It can therefore serve as a transitional lever, helping to stabilise the electricity system, finance infrastructure development and create the conditions for a gradual shift towards a greener mix.
At the same time, revenues from gas exports could feed into a national energy transition fund.
A strategic geographical position and a regional network
Senegal is already connected to its neighbours via the electricity networks of the OMVG (Organization for the Development of the Gambia River) and the WAPP (West African Power Pool).
This regional interconnection opens up interesting prospects for the export of renewable energy, especially solar energy, to countries with increasing demand or more limited resources.
In the long term, this regional dynamic could enhance collective energy security, reduce costs through economies of scale, and make Senegal a key green electricity supplier in West Africa.
Why invest heavily in solar energy?
As Senegal seeks to strengthen its energy sovereignty and build a more resilient economy, solar technology appears as a break-up solution. Accessible, abundant, clean and increasingly competitive, this energy offers multiple economic, social, environmental and strategic benefits.
Energy security and sovereignty
Solar is a domestic and inexhaustible resource. Unlike oil or gas, It is not dependent on any global geopolitical dynamics or transcontinental transport infrastructure.
This structural independence is a guarantee of security for a country still very exposed to the hazards of the global hydrocarbon market.
By developing a large-scale solar park, Senegal could drastically reduce its fuel import bill, strengthen its trade balance and stabilize its long-term energy supply.
Economic competitiveness
The updated solar electricity cost (LCOE) is now one of the lowest in the world. According to IRENA, this cost is around $0.05/kWh or less in some well-structured projects.
By comparison, fuel-fired thermal production can reach two to three times that cost, especially during periods of high oil prices.
By reducing the average cost of electricity, solar fuels the competitiveness of Senegalese companies, particularly in the manufacturing, agricultural and service sectors. It is a key factor in attracting investors, relocating value chains and accelerating the country's industrialization.
Job creation and industrial development
Unlike highly capitalistic thermal power plants, the solar is labour intensive, especially during the construction and maintenance phase.
Each installed megawatt generates several dozen direct and indirect jobs in engineering, logistics, installation, operation and maintenance.
Beyond this, an ambitious solar transition programme offers the opportunity to create a genuine national industrial sector.
Senegal could develop local units for the assembly of photovoltaic panels, the manufacture of metal structures, electrical wiring, etc. This dynamic would generate thousands of industrial jobs and strengthen the local anchor of the energy transition.
Ecological transition and public health
The shift towards clean electricity would significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector, while meeting Senegal's climate commitments under the Paris Agreement.
To this are added immediate environmental and health benefits. Less fuel combustion means a significant improvement in air quality, especially in urban areas. This would reduce respiratory diseases and improve public health, while reducing health costs associated with pollution.
A two-step strategy: from transition gas to dominant solar
To succeed in its energy transformation, Senegal must adopt a pragmatic, progressive and coherent strategy.
The challenge is to reconcile the immediate demands of energy security with the ambition to build, in the long run, a massively renewable electricity system.
In this perspective, a two-step strategic articulation naturally emerges: use natural gas as a lever for stabilization and financing, while gradually building solar dominance in the national energy mix.
Natural gas: a lever for energy stabilization
The gas discovered off the coast of Senegal offers an opportunity to reorient the current energy model. Used in modern combined cycle plants, it allows cleaner, more stable and more competitive production than currently imported liquid fuels.
This resource can perform several essential functions in a transition phase:
- Gradually replace fuel oil in existing thermal power plants, thus reducing emissions and production costs.
- Stabilising the national energy supply, providing a flexible basis for balancing intermittent renewable production.
- Generate export revenues, which could feed a sovereign wealth fund to finance the development of solar infrastructure, technical training, and network equipment.
- Strengthening energy sovereignty, reducing imports and geopolitical risks.
However, this lever must not become a trap. Gas must not stop the growth of renewable energies, but on the contrary support it.
Solar as a pillar of a sustainable energy mix
Solar must gradually become the main resource of the Senegalese electrical system. To achieve this, several conditions must be met:
- Progressive deployment of solar production capacity on an industrial scale, integrated into a network capable of managing high volumes of renewable electricity.
- Development of large-scale storage solutions (in particular batteries) to manage the intermittentness of the solar and ensure continuous power supply.
- Establishment of smart networks, capable of optimizing electricity production, distribution and consumption according to demand.
- Use of solar surpluses for strategic uses: production of green hydrogen, electrification of transport, supply of off-grid rural areas, export to neighbouring countries via regional interconnections.
The aim is not simply to green electricity, but to make solar a pillar of economic transformation, industrialization and regional integration.
Conditions of success
Senegal's solar energy transition can only succeed if it is based on a coherent, structured and inclusive ecosystem.
It is not enough to have the sun in abundance: it requires an investment-friendly environment, local industrial capacity, skilled labour, and effective financing mechanisms.
In other words, a truly integrated national strategy, supported by a long-term vision.
A clear and incentive regulatory framework
The success of the transition depends first and foremost on the confidence of investors and private operators. To achieve this, Senegal must establish a favourable regulatory environment:
- A modernised electricity codewhich clarifies the roles between public, private and consumer actors.
- Attractive electricity purchasing contracts (PPAs), offering long-term visibility, secured by public or international guarantees.
- Transparent and stable regulation, avoiding unpredictable changes that could slow down investment.
A well-designed regulatory framework not only attracts capital but also ensures a harmonious development of the sector.
Local industrial development and technological autonomy
To avoid dependence on solar imports, it is essential to develop a local industrial sector. There are several priority areas:
- Creation of a national solar panel assembly plant, capable of producing on a large scale for the domestic and regional market.
- Development of metal structures, cables and inverters manufacturing workshops, essential elements for installations.
- Promotion of solar consumption in public buildings, businesses and rural areas, with tax and technical incentives.
These initiatives would generate employment, strengthen local know-how and contribute to the emergence of a Senegalese industrial fabric around renewable energies.
Training and skills development
The energy transition must also be an opportunity for Senegalese youth. This implies a massive investment in training:
- Creation of specialized sectors in technical colleges and universities (technicians, engineers, storage experts, maintenance...).
- Establishment of testing and certification laboratories, to ensure the quality of equipment and installations.
- International partnerships with technical institutions, research centres and foreign universities for the transfer of skills.
Without a skilled workforce, no industrialization or sustainable solar exploitation will be possible.
Mobilization of funding
The energy transition requires massive but profitable investments in the medium term. To make them accessible:
- Multilateral institutions (World Bank, BOAD, AfDB, etc.) should continue to play a role in initiating and securing projects.
- Targeted tax incentives (customs exemptions, reduced VAT, accelerated depreciation) can improve the profitability of solar projects.
- Creation of a sovereign fund dedicated to energy transition, fed by revenues from gas or other natural resources, to ensure long-term strategic planning.
A good mix of public, private and international funding will support an ambitious transition, without weakening state finances.
A progressive roadmap for successful solar transition
A successful energy transition to a solar-dominated model is not decreed: this is built, in stages, by combining ambition, pragmatism and multisectoral coordination.
A structured roadmap would channel efforts and maximize impact. Here is a proposal for a gradual approach, in three main phases:
1. Initiation phase: laying the foundations
This phase aims to create the minimum conditions for the rapid development of the solar industry, while initiating the first emblematic projects.
- Launch large-scale solar power pilot projects, including storage systems to demonstrate their technical and economic feasibility.
- Implementing a pilot solar panel assembly plant, with a gradual increase in capacity according to national and regional demand.
- Encourage solar self-consumption in public buildings (schools, hospitals, town halls)with technical and financial support.
- Implementing regulatory reforms, to ensure an attractive framework for private investors and developers.
This phase aims to catalyse confidence in the private sector, stimulate local employment and strengthen initial technical skills.
2. Growth Phase: Structure a National Ecosystem
Once the foundations have been laid, the aim is to accelerate the deployment of the solar and to structure a national industrial value chain.
- Expanding solar production capacity significantly, by integrating public and private projects in all regions.
- Develop a smarter and more resilient electricity grid, capable of integrating a growing share of variable energy (smart grids, digital counting, dynamic demand management).
- Creating green industrial areas powered by solar, to attract investors in manufacturing, agri-food or technology sectors.
- Massive training of skilled labourby increasing academic partnerships and vocational training centres.
This phase consolidates the foundations of a robust local market and paves the way for fair electrification of the territory.
3. Maturity phase: energy autonomy and green export
The objective of the final phase is to ensure the country's energy independence and to transform excess production into a lever of economic power.
- Reaching a majority coverage of electrical needs by solar energy, thanks to a well distributed park, interconnected and supported by storage.
- Export surplus electricity via regional interconnections (OMVG, WAPP), while strengthening the stability of subregional networks.
- Launching industrial green hydrogen production projects, intended for export or local industrial uses (fertilizers, synthetic fuels).
- Position Senegal as a regional solar service centre (training, engineering, maintenance, innovation).
This phase anchors Senegal in a dynamic of regional integration and energy influence, making the sun an engine of economic power.
The expected benefits of a successful solar transition
Adopting an energy strategy based on solar energy, supported by a gradual transition from gas, is not only a response to Senegal's current challenges: it is an opportunity for profound transformation, whose impact will affect the economy, society, the environment and the country's position on the regional and international scene.
Economic benefits
- Energy bill reduction By replacing imported fuels with locally produced energy, the country would save several hundred million dollars each year.
- Electricity price stabilization solar would reduce the volatility of production costs, making energy more predictable for both businesses and households.
- Enhanced economic attractiveness : More affordable, clean and stable electricity is a key argument for attracting industrial investment and promoting high value-added activities.
- Massive job creation From engineering to maintenance, manufacturing and installation, thousands of direct and indirect jobs would be created across the country.
Social benefits
- Broadening access to electricity solar energy, particularly in self-consumption or decentralized solutions, will allow for faster electrification of remote rural areas.
- Improvement of public services - reliable schools, hospitals and administrations can offer continuous services, even in remote areas.
- Strengthening purchasing power In the long term, more affordable energy translates into savings for households and small businesses.
Environmental benefits
- Massive reduction of CO2 emissions The replacement of fuel and diesel with solar electricity would greatly contribute to the achievement of national climate objectives.
- Improvement of air quality : less combustion means fewer pollutants, especially in large agglomerations.
- Preservation of natural resources A clean energy transition reduces the risk of pollution of soil, water and biodiversity.
Beyond these immediate spillovers, Senegal could also play a leading role in climate negotiations, demonstrating that a developing country can lead an ambitious and successful energy transition.
A choice of sovereignty and vision
Senegal is now at a turning point in its energy history. The challenges are real: dependence on imports, increasing pressure on the network, vulnerability to global crises, and the imperative of meeting climate commitments. But opportunities are just as powerful.
The country has exceptional solar resources, new gas levers, young and dynamic human capital, and strategic geographical positioning.
Rather than undergoing the global energy transition, Senegal can become a central player. By firmly focusing on solar as a pillar of its energy future, while intelligently using gas as a transitional lever, the country can build a resilient, competitive and clean electrical system.
Such a strategy is not only a technical choice: it is an act of sovereignty, a project of society, and an investment in long-term prosperity.
Each year without action delays this transformation. Each hesitation prolongs an expensive dependency.
Conversely, a firm commitment today could position Senegal as an African model of successful energy transition, able not only to meet its own needs, but also to contribute to those of its neighbours, while protecting the planet.
The sun, a free, abundant and permanent resource, waits for our political and collective will to become the engine of sustainable, equitable and sovereign development. Now is the time to act.
