Mutasim Essa Abdallah Adam (ELP 2022) | Environmental Inspector, Higher Council of Environment, Urban and Rural Promotion, Sudan

Sudan is endowed with a significant amount of energy resources; there are many types of renewable energy which provide clean, environmentally friendly energy. These range from biomass, hydropower, solar, wind and others. In a country like Sudan that has vast areas of fertile land, an abundance of minerals, water, winds and sunshine, many of these energy sources are valid options for the country. Sudan has been considered one of the best countries for exploiting solar energy since its average sunshine duration ranges from 8.5 to 11 hours a day. This coincides well with the huge loss in crude oil export revenue in 2011 for Sudan after South Sudan’s independence (revenue fell from almost $11 billion in 2010 to just under $1.8 billion in 2012) The country is now looking for alternatives that can secure its energy needs, meet Sudan’s action plan in combating climate change, and secure more cost-effective energy solutions to avoid putting more pressure on the economy.   

The Urgent need for the transition towards sustainable energy in Sudan involves the following: 

• Around one in seven, or 1.1 billion people, doesn’t have access to electricity, and almost 3 billion still cook with polluting fuels like kerosene, wood, charcoal, and dung. In Africa, the electricity challenge remains daunting. In Sudan, for example, 60% of Sudan’s population lacks access to electricity. Sudan is a promising country which has a huge potential for renewable energy. It has a large potential for wind energy in the Northern State, River Nile, and Red Sea, and Sudan’s high levels of solar irradiance throughout the country are significant opportunities for mitigation against the threats of climate change. A country rich with renewable energy resources, like Sudan, needs to enhance investment promotion measures to attract both domestic and foreign investors. There is the need to raise awareness among local financial institutions about the grid-connected and off-grid renewable energy market. Public financing can be most effective if used to reduce risk perceptions. Public-private partnerships can also help to share investment costs and risks.

• Today huge energy demands, particularly from the residential and agricultural sectors, are putting more pressure on Sudan’s already crippled economy. Solar energy could provide an alternative during this transition, especially since it has a wide range of appliances under its umbrella. This rather unique feature from an energy perspective could also help address different needs at different locations; furthermore it could help reduce poverty in Sudan and provide steady incomes, healthcare benefits and skill-building opportunities for unskilled and semi-skilled workers. For Sudan’s rural poor, especially women, clean energy jobs offer an alternative to subsistence farming.

• The Sudanese renewable energy market continues to be a growing and successful industry, but is not without its share of financial challenges. Lack of project financing alongside the lack or absence of financing mechanisms is a major challenge. Additionally, the prevailing belief that investing in such projects represents a high financial risk, access to financing, weak infrastructure to launch wind farms and solar plants, lack of attractiveness of the investment climate in Sudan in the energy sector, and poor manufacturing capabilities are all also major challenges.  But there are opportunities to fix this, through leaders in government, business,  and civil society. It is possible to establish partnerships that will make sustainable energy successful in Sudan. The scale of the Sudan energy transition is too large for the government to lead alone. Private investment and business engagement will be essential to success. Civil society organizations must help effect and sustain change and I think increasingly, such partnerships will be central to secure sustainable energy.

• The upcoming COP27 is an opportunity to mobilize support for sustainable energy investments. It is an opportunity not only for Sudan but for all our countries to put the world on a truly sustainable path: economically, socially, and environmentally. It is our chance to make growth inclusive while respecting planetary boundaries.

• The Sudanese government needs to provide strategic opportunities to encourage transformation towards sustainable energy in Sudan during COP 27. For instance, reassuring investors about their energy and climate commitments by confirming ambitious targets and objectives, including providing visibility on forthcoming capacities to be auctioned in the power sector. Furthermore, the government may help by reducing administrative barriers to renewable project development and corporate sourcing of renewable energy, by streamlining permitting and other administrative procedures.

• The Sudanese government must seek opportunities for the application of renewable sources of energy available in Sudan during COP27.  It is now imperative that there are alternatives to fossil fuels to meet local energy demands. The government must also promote universal access to sustainable energy in the coming decade and meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, which calls for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to limit climate warming to below 2 degrees Celsius. Also, the full range of the evolving suite of off-grid and distributed renewable energy services should be explored to address inequalities across gender and resource, conflict-plagued communities.

• Currently, Sudan faces many development challenges brought about by high electricity subsidy levels, climate-induced impacts on decreasing hydroelectric generation, fossil fuel shortages, and the impact of COVID-19. Conflicts, droughts and floods are all factors contributing to poverty but turning to renewable energy would remove the dependency on fossil fuels and secondly, renewable energy has become increasingly affordable. Solar power, for instance, is now cheaper and also more consistent. Another obvious advantage is the cleanliness of renewable energy, which would be particularly beneficial especially to rural areas of Sudan that can benefit from this transition.

• Lack of effective mechanisms to stimulate investments in the renewable energy sector is a challenge to investing in renewable energy. The renewable energy market is currently dependent on local and international grants, tax exemptions, and government funding. Therefore it is critical to establish a national clean energy solutions center under the supervision of the Regional Center for Renewable Energy to enhance capacity building, knowledge sharing, best practices, data, and analytical tools across the country. It also serves as a first-stop clearinghouse for sustainable energy resources. It offers customized technical assistance through tailored solutions to needs and fosters international collaboration on policy innovations, while assisting governments in creating policy and institutional frameworks for renewable power generation.

• Sudan has a well-defined commitment to continue research, development, and implementation of new technologies. Researchers, businesses, and policymakers in Sudan can explore and usefully improve energy systems and energy consumption behavior, both to reflect the reality of climate change and related environmental degradation and to adapt to the expanding periphery of renewable energy technologies. At the moment, Sudan needs to increase the budget for science and technology, which will lead to a positive impact on the country’s energy infrastructure. Solar energy, however, has a number of technologies within itself that, if invested into, could be implemented on a spectrum of sizes and costs.