By Fatou Saho
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, Amie Njie, has said the rising electricity demand in the country is expected to change from 56% as in 2017 to 100% by 2025.
PS Njie made this statement at the two-day validation on the final draft market assessment report and national cooling plan held at Metzy hotel on Tuesday. As part of the project, their Ministry and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) are currently implementing on:’National Framework for Leapfrogging to Energy Efficient and Climate Friendly Air Conditioners and Refrigerators in the Gambia’.
She said despite the rising electricity demand in the country, “only 56% of The Gambian population has access to electricity as of 2017. However, this is expected to change by 2025, when the Gambia would have achieved universal energy access and modernize its electricity infrastructure through the Gambia Electricity Restoration and Modernization Project. In this regard, the demand for air conditioners and refrigerators in the country is predicted to rise up to 44% by 2040. What this implies is greater use of energy inefficient equipment which is already creating significant stress on our power systems and increasing peak electricity demand, especially within the urban areas”
She said it is imperative to establish a strong policy and regulatory framework to promote higher efficiency appliances in order to meet the ambitious political targets of the government.
“The absence of dedicated policies on import restrictions coupled with limited information on awareness and benefits of energy-efficiency products, prevents the country from inducing a sustainable market transformation in favour of higher efficiency products. Therefore, the need for a gradual transition to energy efficient appliances is required, as there are several benefits associated with such a move”, PS Njie further explained.
