| The
Energy Sector Electricity, LPG and Renewable Energy |
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The
main energy resources in the country comprise of fuel wood,
petroleum products, electricity, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG),
renewable Energy (a center exists for research and
development on this). The government is encouraging use of
other energy sources and at the moment utilisation of
solar PV equipment is increasing in the country for both
industrial, commercial and domestic uses; use of biomass
is also on the increase though confined to agricultural
waste such as saw dust, groundnut shells, straw. Use of
windmills for powering water pumps is also encouraged and
is increasing throughout the country.
The
Electricity Sub - Sector
The provision of
efficient, reliable and affordable energy that is
sustainable and environmentally sound is the main
objective in the government energy policy framework.
Regarding
the electricity sector, the core problems and objectives
of the government remain the following:
 | Increase of generating
capacity that is presently inadequate and unable to
meet the demand estimated to range between 15MW and
30MW. The government therefore seeks foreign and local
partnership in increasing generating capacity.
| capital investment to
improve the poor state of the transmission and
distribution system which result in high technical
losses and un-metered consumption estimated at about
40%; and
| improving efficiencies
so as to reduce the extremely high cost of energy
estimated at an average of US$0.18. |
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The Government continues
to undertake measures at overcoming these problems through
institutional strengthening and other restructuring
efforts. In that regard, the Government welcomes local and
foreign interest in the sector so as to achieve, in the
short to medium term, the following:
| Reduce the cost of
electricity
| Increase the
accessibility and supply reliability of electricity
nationwide, and
| Mitigae the
environmental impact of the power sector |
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Strategies laid down for
the electricity include the creation of a more conducive
legal and regulatory framework, the formation of a
partnership with the private sector, and the participation
of independent power producers (IPP's).. Negotiations are
being intensified with donor agencies and private
companies on all these.
Renewable
Energy Promotion and Development
The government of The
Gambia is encouraging renewable forms of energy including
solar PV systems, wind energy, biomass and other renewable
energy systems and technologies. The country enjoys
year-round sunshine ideal for tapping solar energy for
commercial and domestic purposes. There is potential to
develop the wind and biomass sources. The government has
established Gambia Renewable Energy Center and seeks to
collaborate with interested companies, individuals,
development charities, research entities for the
development of renewable energy.
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