In 2023, Sudan’s electricity supply totaled about 17 TWh: roughly 12 TWh, or 70%, came from low-carbon sources, while fossil fuels supplied 5 TWh, or almost a third. Hydropower accounted for nearly all clean electricity, generating 11.5 TWh. Despite this relatively clean mix, electricity consumption was just 352 kWh per person—less than a tenth of the global average of 3,794 kWh per person. Such low electricity availability can constrain healthcare, education, industrial development and reliable household services, while limiting opportunities to electrify transport and other activities.

Is Electricity Growing in Sudan?

Sudan’s latest figures do not show growth in electricity consumption per person. The 2023 level of 352 kWh was about 35 kWh, or roughly 9%, below the historic peak of 388 kWh reached in 2021. Low-carbon electricity generation per person also slipped: at 235 kWh in 2023, it was 9 kWh, or about 4%, below its 2022 record. These setbacks are concerning because Sudan needs substantially more electricity to improve living standards and support future demand from electrification and digital infrastructure, including AI. However, these per-person figures alone do not establish whether total electricity consumption increased or decreased.

Suggestions

Sudan can expand clean electricity by prioritizing solar deployment, strengthening its grid and developing wind projects where resource assessments support them, while considering nuclear power as part of a longer-term expansion strategy. Relevant examples include Pakistan, which generated 41 TWh from solar and 22 TWh from nuclear, and the United Arab Emirates, with 14 TWh of solar and 32 TWh of nuclear electricity. These places offer useful reference points for solar development in sunny climates and for building nuclear expertise through international partnerships. South Africa provides an African example of a diversified clean electricity mix, producing 20 TWh from solar and 12 TWh each from wind and nuclear. Sudan could learn from their approaches to project delivery, workforce training and grid integration, adapting them to local conditions rather than treating generation totals as directly transferable targets. Expanding these low-carbon sources would also help reduce reliance on fossil fuels and their climate and air-pollution impacts.

History

Sudan’s recorded low-carbon electricity history is dominated by hydropower. From the early 1980s through the mid-2000s, the listed changes were generally small, with modest gains interrupted by slight declines in 1995 and 2003. Expansion accelerated sharply in 2009 and 2010, when hydro generation increased by 1.8 TWh and 3 TWh respectively. Further growth followed in 2011–2014, including a substantial 1.7 TWh increase in 2013, before declines totaling 0.9 TWh in 2015–2016 interrupted that progress. Growth resumed from 2017 through 2020, adding 3 TWh across those years, followed by another 0.9 TWh increase in 2022. The 0.3 TWh decline in 2023 was a disappointing reversal, underscoring the importance of restoring growth and broadening Sudan’s clean electricity supply.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade