In 2022, electricity consumption in São Tomé & Príncipe was about 400 kWh per person, compared with a global average of about 3,800 kWh—just over one-tenth of the global level. Low-carbon electricity contributed around 44 kWh per person, or 11% of the total, leaving roughly 350 kWh per person, nearly 90%, from fossil sources. This combination of limited electricity availability and heavy fossil dependence highlights the need for more clean generation. Low electricity supply can constrain healthcare, education, refrigeration and business development, while fossil electricity contributes to climate change and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in São Tomé & Príncipe?

The latest figures do not show electricity consumption reaching new highs. At 398 kWh per person, consumption in 2022 was 142 kWh below the 2016 record of 540 kWh—about 26% lower. Low-carbon generation was also below its historical peak: 44 kWh per person compared with 69 kWh in 2000, a reduction of about 36%. These comparisons do not establish that every intervening year saw a decline, but they do reveal disappointing setbacks relative to earlier achievements. Expanding clean electricity is important for improving living standards and supporting future demand from electrification and digital services.

Suggestions

São Tomé & Príncipe should prioritize solar expansion, supported by storage and stronger electricity networks, while assessing promising wind resources. Brazil offers a relevant tropical, Portuguese-speaking reference, generating 85 TWh of solar electricity and 111 TWh of wind electricity in the supplied figures. South Africa, with 20 TWh of solar and 12 TWh of wind, provides another African example. These totals illustrate established deployment rather than targets for a much smaller island nation. Nuclear should also feature in long-term planning: France’s 379 TWh and South Africa’s 12 TWh demonstrate its contribution to clean electricity. São Tomé & Príncipe could explore international partnerships and assess nuclear options suited to its future electricity needs, alongside immediate solar development.

History

The supplied history shows little recorded change in hydroelectric generation. Every listed annual change is zero TWh: across the reported years of the 2000s, throughout 2011–2016, and again in 2019–2022. These are changes in generation, not evidence that hydro produced no electricity. Moreover, values reported as zero may conceal small movements if rounded, particularly in such a small electricity system. Nevertheless, the record contains no reported hydro expansion, underscoring the importance of a renewed push for low-carbon electricity growth.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade