Analysis of Electricity Access in South Sudan and Proposed Solutions for Securing Reliable and Affordable Energy

Abstract

South Sudan ranks the least electrified country in Sub-Saharan Africa. Reliable and affordable power supply is essential for socio-economic development. The existing electricity grid in South Sudan is in the state cities and is not capable of extending to most customers in towns and the rural areas due to its dilapidated state. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the state of electricity access and propose solutions for increased accessibility to enhance development in the country. It identified maj or accessibility barriers and proposed measures to avert them. Diverse solutions such as Mini grids, microgrids, solar home system and solar lantern which are potential for use of Renewable Energy Sources (RES), were proposed. The information was sourced from the Ministry of Energy and Dams, South Sudan Electricity Corporation, National Bureau of Statistics, Development partners and available internet sources. Purposive method of data collection was used to target key professionals in the energy sector to provide information. The data was analyzed using XLSTAT2023, Tabular and Google Sheets tools to display the results.