Strategic options for building a new electricity grid in South Sudan: The challenges of a new post-conflict nation

Abstract

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.