Electricity in Bahrain in 2021
In 2021, electricity consumption in Bahrain relied heavily on fossil fuels with a whopping 99.34%, almost entirely composed of gas at 99.25%. The use of low-carbon energy sources in the kingdom's electricity production is nearly nonexistent, with a tiny fraction of 0.03% derived from solar energy. The country's electricity supply is also slightly bolstered by net imports, which constitute about 0.62% of total consumption in the kingdom.
Suggestions
Looking ahead, Bahrain could significantly alter its energy landscape by increasing low-carbon electricity generation. The model adapted by several countries deploying nuclear energy could provide valuable insights for Bahrain. For instance, France, Ukraine, and Slovakia have all harnessed nuclear energy, generating an impressive 61%, 58%, and 57% of their respective electricity outputs. Despite the stark contextual differences, Bahrain could extract key learnings from these countries' strategies to gradually increase its clean electricity generation. Considering Bahrain's climate and geographical conditions, adopting solar energy, similar to nations like Yemen, Jordan, and Chile (each generating over 15% of their electricity from solar energy), could serve as an effective strategy alongside nuclear energy.
History
In Bahrain's history of low-carbon electricity, solar energy only began to feature in recent years, but the progress has been limited. Since 2014, the energy generated from solar sources has remained steady at zero terawatt-hours (TWh). This stagnation indicates a lack of effective implementation of solar energy projects and lends further urgency to the need for Bahrain to diversify its energy mix, following the examples of successful countries in utilizing nuclear and other low-carbon sources. Moving forward, concerted efforts should be focused on significantly increasing the generation of clean electricity in the kingdom.