Strategic options for building a new electricity grid in South Sudan
The challenges of a new post-conflict nation
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13064327 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Samuel Thiak, Anil Hira (0000-0003-4831-284X, Simon Fraser University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 109 |
| Pages | 103417-103417 |
| Publication date | 2024-01-16 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Energy Research & Social Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2214-6296 • E-ISSN: 2214-6326 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.erss.2024.103417 |
| OpenAlex | W4390900825 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 18 |
This article presents a case study of the struggles of South Sudan, the newest country to develop a new electricity grid, and the strategic choices it faces in a post-conflict situation. In addition to the energy trilemma around security, price, and sustainability, we add a fourth consideration for policy, namely the distribution of benefits and ability of government both to provide collective goods and to use them to reinforce its power in the context of the resource curse. Despite having an abundance of oil, South Sudan has struggled to build its grid. Ongoing conflict, geographical distance, ethnic differences, and more practical factors including lack of capital all play a role. This has led the government to adopt plans for a centralized grid, which it is unable to execute in a timely fashion. As a result, the country has a de facto set of decentralized energy systems. Our analysis reveals that neither a centralized nor a decentralized approach best resolves such tradeoffs. Instead, we conclude a hybrid approach makes the most sense in a post-conflict situation. This preserves the possibility of providing long-term grid connections while acknowledging the need for immediate energy access
Business · Computer security · Context (archaeology · Economic system · Economics · Electricity · Energy security · Environmental economics · Ethnic conflict · Ethnic group · Geography · Government (linguistics · Grid · Industrial organization · Political science · Renewable energy · Resource (disambiguation · Sustainability · Computer Science · Energy and Environment Impacts · Engineering · International Development and Aid · Natural Resources and Economic Development
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |