Country Overview
The African country of the Republic of Sierra Leone is bordered by Liberia, Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean. The population of Sierra Leon is approximately 8.83 million people.
In 2022, Sierra Leon’s economy was ranked 151st in in the world in gross domestic product (GDP). The country’s economy is dependent on the export of titanium ore, iron ore, rough wood, diamonds, and aluminum ore.
Environmental Policies
In 2016, Sierra Leon signed the Paris Climate Agreement, pledging to keep greenhouse gas emissions “relatively low” by 2035.
Power Generation Capabilities
In 2021, only 27.5% of the people in Sierra Leon had access to electricity. In 2021, electric utility, Power Leone used renewable energy (90.5 %) and refined petroleum (9.5 %) to generate electricity in Sierra Leon. Hydropower is the dominant type of renewable energy used to generate electricity in Sierra Leon.
Recent renewable energy projects in Sierra Leon include:
- 20 MW Solar Project – Kenyan renewable energy company, Serengeti Energy is continuing work on a solar project at a site approximately 90 miles east-southeast of the nation’s capital, Freetown
- 5 MW Solar Project – In December 2022, Serengeti Energy commissioned a solar project at a site approximately 90 miles east-southeast of Freetown.
Conclusions
Sierra Leone imports all the nation’s refined petroleum for power generation and transportation. . In 2021, Sierra Leon imported U.S. 70.7 Million for refined petroleum.
On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, resulting in the European Union, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Japan and South Korea placing embargos on Russian exports. As a result, the international price for crude oil increased by over 50% from May 2021 to May 2022.
Sierra Leon has vast undeveloped renewable energy resources, including solar, onshore wind, hydropower, offshore wind, and biomass.
Solar offers Sierra Leon a cost effective alternative to expensive, diesel-fueled power plants in the nation’s power grid. Small solar projects offer the rural areas of Sierra Leon affordable power to run pumps for portable water and irrigation. Solar offers Sierra Leon a brighter future.
Jack Kerfoot
Website – “Our Energy Conundrum”
Jack Kerfoot is a scientist, energy expert, and author of the book FUELING AMERICA, An Insider’s Journey and articles for The Hill, one of the largest independent political news sites in the United States. He has been interviewed on over 100 radio, podcast, and television stations from New York City to Los Angeles on a diverse range of energy issues.