Uninterruptible Power Supply Monopoly in Benin

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.

Is Benin an energy importer?

Fig. 8 shows that Benin is an energy importer, and very vulnerable in terms of its electricity supplies. Since 1990, between 75% and 99% of its electricity supply was imported, and imports grew sharply from 2007 to 2013, given exponential demand and little national production.

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) .

Is Benin energy dependent?

In 2015, Benin was energy and electrically dependent at 41.3% and 76%, respectively, which worsened given energy imports at 1319.45 GWh in 2018 relative to 1202.15 GWh in 2017, an 8.07% increase due to a 76.80% drop in national electricity production in this period.