In 2022, electricity consumption in Lesotho was about 400 kWh per person, only around a tenth of the global average of 3,794 kWh per person. Domestic low-carbon electricity generation amounted to 210 kWh per person, equivalent to slightly more than half of consumption. The supplied figures do not identify the sources supplying the remainder, so it cannot all be classified as fossil electricity; imports may include both clean and fossil-generated electricity. Such limited electricity availability can constrain businesses, healthcare, education and household living standards, while slowing electrification and the development of electricity-intensive services.

Is Electricity Growing in Lesotho?

Lesotho’s latest figures show a disappointing retreat from its historical records rather than sustained electricity growth. Consumption in 2022 was 48 kWh per person below the 2010 record of 446 kWh per person—a decline of about 11%. Low-carbon generation fell even further: its 2022 level of 210 kWh per person was 136 kWh below the 2010 record of 346 kWh, a drop of nearly 40%. These comparisons do not establish whether electricity grew in every intervening year, but they clearly show that Lesotho has not regained its earlier peaks. Restoring and then exceeding those levels would help meet existing needs and future demand.

Suggestions

Lesotho can expand clean electricity by strengthening its hydropower base while adding solar and suitable wind projects, supported by better transmission, storage and regional connections. Neighbouring South Africa offers particularly relevant examples: the supplied comparison shows 20 TWh of solar electricity, 12 TWh of wind and 12 TWh of nuclear electricity. Lesotho could draw on regional expertise in project development, procurement and grid integration, scaling projects to its own needs. Solar successes in other regions, including India at 205 TWh, also demonstrate the substantial contribution this technology can make. Nuclear should be considered through regional cooperation and access to nuclear-generated electricity, alongside assessment of future domestic options. France’s 376 TWh of nuclear generation illustrates how nuclear can anchor a substantial clean electricity supply. Expanding solar and nuclear access would help increase electricity availability while limiting dependence on fossil fuels and their climate and air-pollution impacts.

History

The supplied history of Lesotho’s low-carbon electricity is entirely about hydropower and shows growth in the 2000s followed by setbacks and stagnation. Recorded increases included about 0.1 TWh in 2000, 0.2 TWh in 2005, and 0.1 TWh each in 2006 and 2009, interspersed with several years of no reported change. A substantial decline of 0.2 TWh followed in 2011. Several listed years through the rest of the 2010s again showed no change, before another decline of 0.1 TWh in 2019. Generation was unchanged in 2020, recovered by 0.1 TWh in 2021, and lost that gain in 2022. This uneven record underscores the need to restore growth and diversify Lesotho’s clean electricity supply.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade