In 2023, fossil fuels supplied almost three-quarters of Senegal’s electricity consumption, including roughly 6% from coal. Low-carbon sources provided about a fifth: wind contributed around 9%, solar 7%, hydropower 4%, and biofuels 1%. Net imports covered the remaining 6%, with their generation mix unspecified. Clean electricity therefore has an established foothold, but fossil fuels still dominate, contributing to climate change and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in Senegal?

Electricity consumption per person is growing in Senegal. It reached a new record of 472 kWh in 2023, up from 453 kWh in 2022—an increase of about 20 kWh per person, or 4%. That growth is welcome, but low-carbon electricity generation per person slipped from its 2022 record of 99 kWh to 97 kWh in 2023. This small decline is concerning: clean generation needs to grow alongside electricity consumption to support electrification and future demand, including from AI.

Suggestions

Senegal can increase clean electricity generation by expanding solar and wind while exploring nuclear power as a longer-term source of low-carbon electricity. Morocco offers a relevant regional example, generating about 20% of its electricity from wind, while Uruguay achieves roughly a third. For solar, Senegal could draw lessons from sunny places such as Chile and Pakistan, where solar supplies about a quarter of electricity generation, and the US state of Nevada, where it supplies more than a third. Nuclear also deserves consideration: it generates around two-thirds of France’s electricity and a fifth of electricity in the United Arab Emirates. Senegal could pursue international partnerships, workforce training and grid planning to support a growing mix of solar, wind and nuclear electricity.

History

Senegal’s recorded low-carbon electricity gains began with hydropower increases of 0.2 TWh in 2002 and 0.1 TWh in 2003. These were followed by several years with no recorded change and a 0.1 TWh decline in 2007; the later hydropower entries also show no growth. Solar then added 0.1 TWh in 2017 and 0.3 TWh in 2019. Momentum broadened in the early 2020s: wind added 0.2 TWh in both 2020 and 2021, followed by 0.3 TWh in 2022, while solar added another 0.2 TWh in 2021 but recorded no increase in 2020 or 2022. These additions show the value of expanding wind and solar, with sustained annual growth needed to build on that progress.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade