The Program of Action of the Sao Tomé et Principe Government has made it a priority for the energy sector to improve energy supply capacity, diversify sources of electricity and improve medium voltage lines.
Currently, the biggest contributor to Sao Tomé et Principe carbon emissions is the energy sector. The consumption of diesel for power generation accounted for 38.3% of total consumption in 2005, while firewood remains one of the most important sources of energy in the country with about 32.6% of energy use. The electrical energy from hydroelectric plants, the only source of renewable energy in the country, represents only 1% of domestic energy consumption, which shows the low level of development in that sector. Natural gas, used solely for domestic consumption, accounts for only 0.01% of domestic energy consumption. Government policies have prioritised the need to introduce new technologies for firewood use and charcoal production, as well as the introduction of renewable energy sources such as the construction of two hydropower plants that are currently in the planning stages. Urban centers have good access to electrical energy but in rural areas about 80% of the population lacks energy access. As a result, firewood and fossil fuels are the main source of energy for illumination and cooking in rural areas. The negative environmental impact of high consumption and reliance on firewood is ignored or excused due to easy access for rural communities. The strong reliance on fossil fuels intriduces additional economic vulnerabilities, as all petroleum is imported and subject to world price fluctuations.
The report "SIDS-focused Green Economy: An Analysis of Challenges and Opportunities" was launched at COP7 of the Nairobi Convention for the Protection, Management and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Eastern African Region, which took place in Maputo, Mozambique, from 10 to 14 December 2012.
The Contracting Parties of the Nairobi Convention -among which there are SIDS, i.e., Comoros, Mauritius, Seychelles- , the Intergovernmental organisations and...
This regional project covers: Antigua & Barbuda, Belize, Grenada, St. Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago. The project will build capacity to reduce GHG emissions in the commercial and residential buildings including appliances, demonstrate technologies to achieve reductions of 20% of GHG emissions and put in place policies or programs to roll out these technologies to the marketplace.
The project consists of six components:
1. Establish an Assessment and Monitoring System for Energy...
26 March 2013: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has released the March 2013 edition of its Pacific Economic Monitor (PEM), which includes four energy themed articles. The articles focus on Pacific efforts to achieve energy security and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
The articles in the March PEM include: an overview from the New Zealand Aid Programme on Pacific energy security challenges; a profile of energy consumption and future energy demand in Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the...
