WSHPDR_2013_Final_Report-updated_version

Studied hydropower plants in South Sudan
Plant
Capacity Location
Status quo
(MW)
Grand Fula 1 080.0 Central Equatoria State Feasibility study and EIA completed
Fula 40.0 Central Equatoria State Feasibility study and EIA completed
Shukole 200.0 Central Equatoria State Feasibility study and EIA completed
Lakki 200.0 Central Equatoria State Feasibility study and EIA completed
Beden 540.0 Central Equatoria State Feasibility study and EIA completed
.. 25.5 Western Equatoria State ..
Juba 120.0 Central Equatoria State Studied
Sue 12.0-15.0 Western Bahr El-Ghazal State Studied
Kinyeti 5.0 Eastern Equatoria State Feasibility study completed
Source: Ackermann, updated with Ministry of Electricity and Dams 7
Note: EIA – environmental impact assessment
SHP installed
capacity
SHP potential
0 MW
5 MW
0 2 4 6
Figure 2 Small hydropower capacities up to 10 MW in
South Sudan
Those large hydropower plants to be built along the
river from Nimuli to Juba may take decades to be
commissioned. Therefore, the construction of mediumand
small-hydropower plants is needed to improve the
current poor situation of electric power in the country.
Building a local hydropower plant with installed capacity
of 1 MW to 25 MW is possible. The authors believe that
such hydropower plants could be built to generate
electricity in Torit, Yei, Wau and other towns in South
Sudan.
Renewable energy policy
Hydropower, solar energy, wind power, and biomass are
the main renewable energy sources in South Sudan.
Currently, biomass and petroleum products are the
main energy sources in use in South Sudan. 8
The availability of sunlight in South Sudan is around
seven hours per day. 9 Photovoltaic technology thus
offers an attractive off-grid solution. The annual average
wind velocity is about 2.5 metre per second in South
Sudan. 9 At this speed a developed wind sector is not
commercially viable. However, small wind turbines are
promising devices for household electricity generation
as well as pumping water. Hydropower also holds a key
role in South Sudan’s electricity generation, with the
White Nile flow being sufficient for hydropower power
production.
Barriers for small hydropower development
There are many challenges that hinder the small
hydropower development. These include technical, and
ecological issues as well as challenging accessibility and
remoteness of the sites. 6 Others are:
The lack of priority and attention afforded to water
resource management. Scarcity of meteorological
and hydrological data due to the conflict: it will take
some time to generate the lost information and
systems;
Lack of renewable energy policy, legislation and
poor technical and institutional capacity; 3 10
Social tensions: South Sudan is a newly established
landlocked country which has gained independence
in July 2011 following two prolonged conflicts which
lasted from 1983 to 2005, six years of autonomy
(from 2005) and a referendum in which 98 per cent
voted in favour of a South Sudanese state;
Political instability.
References
1. Southern Sudan Centre for Census (2009). Statistic
and evaluation, statistical book for Southern Sudan 2009.
Available from http://ssnbs.org/.
2. Central Intelligence Agency (2012). The World
Factbook. Available from
www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/.
3. Ranganthan, R. and Briceño-Garmendia (2011). South
Sudan’s Infrastructure: A Continental Perspective. World
Bank. Available from wwwwds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDSContentServer/WDSP/I
B/2011/09/27/000158349_20110927142346/Rendered/
PDF/WPS5814.pdf. Accessed December 2012.
4. Kvelland, E. (2012). South Sudan Post Independence:
A Dire Need for Economic Diversification. The
Macalester Review, Vol. 2, Issue. 2, Article 2. Available
from
digitalcommons.macalester.edu/macreview/vol2/iss2/2.
Accessed December 2012.
48