Press Release:Seeking Alterative Energy in Sudan

UNDP and the Ministry Of Water Resources Initiate the Use of Wind Power in Sudan –A 200 Million Dollar Project
Khartoum- 4 December, 2014 - The Ministry of Water Resources and Electricity and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have signed today an agreement on the funding and implementation of a five-year project on “Promoting Utility Scale Power Generation from Wind Energy” in Sudan. The project’s total budget amounts to US$ 217 million of which US$ 213 million is invested by the Government of Sudan, with additional support from the Global Environment Facility and UNDP amounts US$ 4 million.
This newly launched project aims to diversify Sudan’s power sources, limiting its reliance on fossil fuel, increasing energy security, and reducing Sudan’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by scaling up wind energy usage.
Although indentified by the Government of Sudan as a priority mitigation technology, wind energy has not yet been adopted in the country as a key source for energy. Studies on wind resources in Sudan have demonstrated that wind power represents not only a relatively low-cost and reliable form of renewable energy; but one that also contributes immensely to local employment, industrial development and export benefits.
With a measured monthly average of wind speeds of up to 8 m/s -particularly in the Northern region and along the Red Sea coast - wind conditions are very favorable for electricity generation in Sudan. It is expected that the project’s first wind farm will be installed in the Dongola area of the Northern State.
Currently, an estimated 35% of the population has access to electricity in Sudan with more than 25 million people yet to be connected to the national grid. Despite improvements in recent years, electricity provision is still not reliable and experiences regular power outages affecting industrial productivity and general household usage.
With 44% of Sudan’s electricity being generated from fossil fuel and the irregularity of rainfall patterns posing threats to the reliability of Sudan’s current hydro-power, the need to seek alternative renewable energy forms for the country is clear.
The project will work along four components: the implementation of a pilot wind farm; strengthening institutional and regulatory policies; strengthening the support for wind technology; and support to the development of an adaptive learning and replication plan. The project will also establish regulatory frameworks for encouraging private investments in grid-connected wind energy.
Key project partners include the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Physical Development (MEFPD), National Energy Research Centre - Ministry of Science and Communication (NERC), General Directorate of Energy Affairs - Ministry of Petroleum (GDEA), Sudanese Standards and Metrology Organization (SSMO) and Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA).
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has generously contributed USD 3.54 Million to this project, leveraging about USD 200 Million as co-finance. In their fifth cycle, 2010 – 2014, GEF has allocated USD 15.23 Million for projects in Sudan. Globally, GEF provides funds to support activities related to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, and chemicals and waste in the context of development projects and programs.
UNDP’s development interventions in Sudan focus on ensuring that growth and development are inclusive and sustainable supporting the pursuit of green development paths thereby improving access to energy for the poor and excluded.

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