In 2023, Guinea consumed about 4.1 TWh of electricity, with almost three-quarters coming from low-carbon sources and roughly one-quarter from fossil fuels. Hydropower supplied about 3 TWh, accounting for nearly all clean electricity generation, while fossil generation contributed about 1 TWh. Electricity consumption was just 281 kWh per person—around 7% of the global average of 3,794 kWh, or roughly one-fourteenth as much. Such limited electricity availability can constrain healthcare, education, industry and household living standards, highlighting the need to expand clean electricity supply.

Is Electricity Growing in Guinea?

Guinea’s electricity consumption per person was not growing in 2023: at 281 kWh, it remained slightly below the 2022 record of about 285 kWh. Low-carbon electricity generation per person also slipped, from 212 kWh in 2022 to 210 kWh in 2023. These small declines signal concerning stagnation rather than continued progress. However, per-person figures alone do not establish whether total electricity consumption increased or decreased, because population changes also matter. Sustained growth in clean electricity generation is needed to improve access and support future electrification.

Suggestions

Guinea can build on its hydropower foundation by expanding solar electricity, strengthening transmission and distribution, and considering nuclear power through long-term planning and international cooperation. South Africa offers a useful African reference, generating about 20 TWh from solar, 12 TWh from wind and 12 TWh from nuclear. Brazil, another tropical, hydropower-rich reference, produced about 88 TWh from solar and 110 TWh from wind, illustrating how these sources can complement hydropower. Guinea could learn from their project development and grid-integration experience, while assessing suitable wind locations locally. For nuclear development, France’s roughly 376 TWh of nuclear generation demonstrates the scale of dependable low-carbon electricity that this technology can provide; Guinea could begin by developing technical expertise, regulatory institutions and regional partnerships.

History

Guinea’s recorded low-carbon electricity history is overwhelmingly a story of hydropower. Small increases of around 0.1 TWh occurred in 1983 and several years from the late 1990s into the early 2000s. The 2000s and early 2010s then saw modest gains interspersed with setbacks, including a 0.2 TWh decline in 2003 followed by an equivalent recovery in 2004. Growth accelerated in 2015, when hydro generation rose by 0.5 TWh, followed by smaller increases through the late 2010s. The strongest expansion came in the early 2020s: generation increased by 0.2 TWh in 2020, a remarkable 1.2 TWh in 2021 and another 0.3 TWh in 2022. Hydropower generation then remained unchanged in 2023—a disappointing pause after that substantial clean-electricity expansion.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade