African Water Development Report 2006 - United Nations Economic ...

Hydroelectric capacity accounts for about 22 percent of the total electric-generating capacity inAfrica. Hydroelectricity represents the primarysource of electricity in East Africa and CentralAfrica (and nearly half in West Africa). Relianceon hydropower is 80 per cent or greater in Cameroon,the Democratic Republic of the Congo,Ghana, Mozambique, Rwanda, Uganda, andZambia. Hydropower reliance is greater than70 per cent in several other African countries.Nuclear power accounts for only 2 per cent ofAfrica’s total electric-generating capacity, and islocated in only one country, South Africa.Africa. In those regions, the use of biomass haslargely taken the place of electricity from a powergrid.Commercial Energy ConsumptionCommercial energy consumption is increasingthroughout Africa. Energy demand in Africagrew by an average rate of 2.7 per cent per annumfrom 1980 to 1997, and a little faster (anaverage 3.1 per cent per annum) from 1990 to1997. During the period 1970-1997, Africa’scommercial energy consumption (excludingHARNESSING ENERGY FOR DEVELOPMENTPer Capita Consumption of Oil in some Selected CountriesOil Consumption - Barrels/day/1000people4035302520151050Eq.GuineaGabonLibyaSenegalAngolaAlgeriaEgyptNigeriaGhanaSudanCameroonChadSouth AfricaCote d'IvoireCongo, Dem.Rep.CountrySource: Energy Information Administration, US Department of Energy. http://www.nationmaster.comGeothermal generating plants make up onlyabout 0.1 per cent of total electric-generatingcapacity in Africa. Ethiopia and Kenya accountfor the entire capacity. Access to a central powergrid is a major challenge for Africa. Outside ofSouthern Africa (and to a lesser extent, NorthAfrica), electrification rates are very low (Energyin Africa, 1999).As a result, per capita electricity consumptionis extremely low in Central, East, and West“non-commercial” fuels such as firewood, charcoaland animal waste) increased by about 220per cent (from 3.6 to 11.4 quadrillion Btu). Thecontinent’s share of world commercial energyconsumption increased slightly, from 2 per centin 1970 to 3 per cent in 1997 (Energy in Africa,1999). Commercial energy consumption in Africa,as a share of the world total, is expected toremain virtually constant (at about 3 per cent)up to 2020. Africa’s share of world commercialenergy consumption is small for a variety of reasons,including low per capita income, level of219