In 2023, fossil fuels supplied about 44% of Gabon’s electricity consumption, while low-carbon sources supplied about 41% and net imports accounted for the remaining 15%. Hydropower provided almost all the clean electricity, contributing about 40% of total consumption. Gas alone supplied almost 30%, making it the largest identified fossil source. The carbon intensity of imported electricity is not specified, so imports should be kept separate from the fossil and low-carbon categories.

Is Electricity Growing in Gabon?

Gabon’s electricity consumption per person was not growing in 2023: it stood at about 1,520 kWh, slightly below the 2022 record of about 1,535 kWh—a decline of roughly 1%. Low-carbon electricity generation reached 616 kWh per person, around 200 kWh below its 1985 record of 817 kWh, or about a quarter lower. These figures show a worrying shortfall in clean electricity per person, although they do not establish whether total national electricity consumption declined. Expanding clean generation would help support electrification and future demand, including demand from AI.

Suggestions

Gabon can build on its hydropower foundation by expanding solar electricity, assessing suitable wind locations, and considering nuclear electricity through long-term planning and international partnerships. Nearby Congo–Kinshasa offers a relevant solar example, generating 13% of its electricity from solar, while Namibia reaches 11%. For wind, Kenya generates 12% and Morocco 20%, providing African examples worth studying where Gabon’s local conditions are suitable. Nuclear experience offers another pathway: France generates about two-thirds of its electricity from nuclear, while the United Arab Emirates generates one-fifth. Gabon could learn from these regions’ approaches to developing expertise, infrastructure and clean electricity projects, adapting them to its own electricity system.

History

The supplied history of Gabon’s low-carbon electricity is dominated by hydropower. In the early 1980s, generation increased by 0.1 TWh in each of 1981, 1982, 1984 and 1985, while 1995 recorded no change. During the 2000s, modest gains alternated with setbacks: generation rose in 2001, remained unchanged in 2002, fell in 2005 and 2007, and recovered in 2006, 2008 and 2009. A similar pattern continued in the early 2010s, with declines in 2011 and 2014 followed by recoveries in 2012 and 2015. The strongest listed increase came in 2019, when hydropower grew by 0.4 TWh, followed by gains of 0.1 TWh in both 2020 and 2022 and no change in 2021. Those later gains are encouraging, but more sustained clean electricity expansion is needed to improve generation per person.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade