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Hydropower
Access to electricity is one of East Africa’s key
constraints. In the majority of the subregion, less than
20 per cent of the population has access to electricity
(UNEP, 2014). Firewood and charcoal remain the
most common formof energy for cooking andheating
in rural areas. Improved access to electricity would
significantly contribute to energy security, poverty
alleviation, improved health, increased productivity,
enhanced competitiveness and economic growth.
Furthermore, it would take pressure off forests and
reduce deforestation.
The ‘water towers’ of EastAfricaprovideopportunities
for generating hydropower in the region, which
could provide secure access to cleaner electricity
and enhance economic development. In Africa as
a whole, about 93 per cent of economically viable
hydropower potential is unexploited. East Africa has
a significant share of the rivers with high hydropower
potential. Rivers in the Nile Basin, for example, have
the potential to generate 20 gigawatts of electricity.
The Blue Nile, which drops 1,300 metres down from
Lake Tana to Sudan’s border could generate 8,000
megawatts (UNEP, 2014). The Mau Forest complex
has the potential to generate an additional 508
megawatts – equivalent to half of Kenya’s current
capacity (UNEP, 2014).
The region has great potential for developing small,
micro and pico-hydropower schemes due to the large
number of smaller rivers that are not prone to drought
and which can therefore provide a continuous source
of power. According to the World Small Hydropower
Development Report (UNIDO and ICSHP, 2013),
East Africa, excluding DRC, has a total potential of
5,112 MW, of which only 125 MW is being realized.
Kenya and Ethiopia have by far the largest potential:
3 000 MW and 1 500 MW, respectively. In addition
to being more environmentally friendly, small
50%
77%
80%
83%
76%
90%
85%
68%
Kilimandjaro
Nyamuragira
Muhabura
Mt Elgon
Mt Kenya
Nyiragongo
Khartoun
Asmara
Djibouti
Addis Abeba
Juba
Mogadishu
Nairobi
Kampala
Dodoma
Bujumbura
Kigali
SUDAN
SOUTH SUDAN
ERITREA
DJIBOUTI
ETHIOPIA
SOMALIA
KENYA
UGANDA
TANZANIA
ZAMBIA
DRC
RWANDA
BURUNDI
Nile
Atbara
Setit
W
h
i
t
e
N
i
l
e
B
l
u
e
N
i
l
e
Jubba
Tana
Fafan
Shebelé
Dharoor
A
w
a
s
h
O
m
o
S
o
b
a
t
Lake Nyasa
(Malawi)
Lake
Albert
Lake
Victoria
Lake
Tanganyika
Turkana
Lake
Sources: IEA,2014, “WorldEnergyOutlook2014”, InternationalEnergyAgency;UNIDOand ICSHP,2013,
“Worldsmallhydropowerdevelopment report2013”,UnitedNtions IndustrialDevelopment
Organizationand InternationalCenteronsmallHydroPower; UNEP,2014, “AfricaMountainsAtlas”,
UnitedNationsEnvironmentProgramme;StratfordGlobal Intelligence,2014, “Africa'sPromising
ElectricitySources”
,stratford.com(accessedDecember,2015);US-EAGP,2013, “Geothermalprospect
areas inEastAfrica’sRiftValley region”,EastAfricaGeothermalPartnership,UnitedStatesEnergy
Association.
Copyright©2015GRID-Arendal ·Cartografare ilpresente/NievesLópez Izquierdo
Electrification rate (%)
High elevation dams
(at or above 1 500 m.a.s.l.)
Geothermal prospect areas
Percentage of population
without access to electricity
Small and micro hydropower
plants
(< 18 000 kW)
Ecosystem services: Energy
200 km
Active
Volcanoes
Dormant
Extinct
Potential Sources of
geothermal energy
76%