Africa is a region with very favorable conditions for the development of renewable energy. The continent has a lot of water resources and a lot of opportunities for utilizing solar energy. However, in most countries in the region, this area is still underdeveloped. There are several reasons for this, the most obvious being: many renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, are intermittent and depend on weather conditions.
This intermittency can lead to fluctuations in power generation, making it challenging to provide a consistent and reliable electricity supply; the lack of effective energy storage solutions is a significant challenge for renewable energy in Africa; storage technologies are essential to store excess energy generated during peak times for use during periods of low or no generation; inadequate infrastructure and challenges in integrating renewable energy into existing power grids are major issues. Many African countries face difficulties in upgrading their grids to accommodate decentralized renewable energy sources. Dependence on the natural resources that African countries are rich in is also an important issue. However, things get more complicated when analyzed in detail. I would like to analyze this problem on the example of Uganda.
Uganda faces a complex paradox where the convergence of the oil and gas sector, renewable energy and forest protection presents a challenging picture. The country plans to harness the potential of oil and gas combined with renewable energy to meet domestic and regional energy needs, create significant jobs, and catalyze a transition to sustainable energy.
A key element of Uganda’s future development is the ambitious East Africa Pipeline project, a collaboration involving TotalEnergies, China’s CNOOC and the Uganda National Oil Company. Despite global criticism from activists, this multi-billion dollar pipeline with a capacity of 240,000 barrels per day is considered the linchpin of the country’s development trajectory.
Uganda, which already generates 95% of its electricity from hydro and solar sources, faces a challenge as its current capacity is around 2GW, resulting in one of the lowest electrification rates in sub-Saharan Africa. The country aims to reach Net Zero by 2065, emphasizing the transition from the predominant use of firewood and charcoal to electricity for 45 million people.
To achieve this transition, Uganda plans to increase renewable energy capacity to 52 GW by 2045, relying on hydro and solar power. At the same time, the introduction of smart electricity meters is expected to offer cost-effective alternatives to electricity, especially targeting households currently dependent on wood and coal.
However, the relevance of this plan becomes apparent when one considers that if the current demand for firewood continues, Uganda’s entire national stock of forests and tree cover could disappear within two decades. The country’s energy future is thus inextricably linked to the controversial pipeline, as without it, the envisioned transition to renewable energy, affordable electricity and forest conservation becomes a daunting task.
However, the problem is not just dependence on wood and inefficient renewable energy extraction. External players play a big role, even though former colonies have gained independence, many African countries are still under the great influence of stronger states that pursue a policy of neo-colonialism. In this case, China is very interested in the pipeline, because it is being built in cooperation with the Chinese company CNOOC. Moreover, this pipeline will be important for China’s entire policy in the region of eastern and central Africa.
Therefore, it is unlikely that Uganda will be able to realize its renewable energy plans without the participation of interested countries (such as the announced joint projects between Germany and Namibia).
To sum up the energy problem in African countries is very acute and the main factors of the problem are: dependence on natural conditions, weak infrastructure, ineffective public policy, dependence on natural resources and external actors of influence.
