How much electricity does Benin need?

Benin belongs to several institutions like West Africa (WA), the African Union (AU), the World Trade Organization (WTO), ECOWAS, and WAEMU, and has a total installed energy capacity at 349 MW, with estimated electricity needs at 600 MW, given rapidly growing electricity demand, according to the West African Development Bank (BOAD, 2019) .

Which renewable resources are available in Benin?

Of all the available renewable resources in Benin, solar has the greatest potential, and is the easiest to implement for solving problems in the Republic of Benin.

Does Benin have a good energy sector?

This paper analyzed the energy sector in the Republic of Benin, a developing country in West Africa that has many problems in meeting the needs of its population for almost all sectors over the last decade, specifically, between 2010 and 2018, in terms of production, consumption, and imports.

How much electricity is produced by biomass in Benin?

Electricity production using biomass in Benin was zero, similar to other WAEMU member countries, except for the Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso, which accounted for 53.4% and 46.6% of all electricity production (114.5 GWh), using biomass in 2018, respectively.

Why is Benin importing more electricity from neighboring countries?

In recent decades, Benin has experienced several energy crises that have forced it to import more electricity from neighboring countries like Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Nigeria, via the West African Power Pool (WAPP), to meet demand for its population. The worst crisis occurred from 2007 to 2013.

Can biogas be used to produce electricity in Benin?

Despite significant potential and enthusiasm for using biogas in Benin to produce electricity, biogas processes take time to develop, and can face some challenges, like organic material management (collection and storage), technical controls and equipment maintenance (flammable and corrosive gas production), and the high domestic costs .