{"id":45563,"date":"2026-06-23T14:17:07","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T12:17:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/?p=45563"},"modified":"2026-06-23T14:22:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T12:22:54","slug":"oped-south-sudans-path-to-energy-security-lies-in-integrated-renewable-energy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/23\/oped-south-sudans-path-to-energy-security-lies-in-integrated-renewable-energy\/","title":{"rendered":"OpEd: South Sudan’s path to energy security lies in integrated renewable energy"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Ajak John Ateng<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

For far too long, South Sudan has been caught between abundant natural wealth and persistent energy poverty. While the nation possesses vast resources, millions of citizens still struggle with unreliable electricity, forcing businesses, schools, hospitals, and households to depend on costly diesel generators and imported fuel.<\/p>\n

As the adage goes, “you cannot build a modern nation in the dark.” If the country is to unlock its full economic potential, it must embrace an integrated renewable energy strategy.<\/p>\n

The good news is that nature has already dealt the young nation a winning hand. It is blessed with year-round sunshine, powerful rivers, promising geothermal resources, biomass from cattle dung, seasonal winds, and the potential for future nuclear energy development. The challenge is not a lack of resources; it is transforming these assets into a coherent national energy policy.<\/p>\n

Solar energy should form the backbone of the country’s energy transition. With abundant sunshine throughout the year, there is sufficient solar potential to light up villages, power businesses, and electrify public institutions.<\/p>\n

In an era where solar technology is becoming cheaper and more efficient, allowing this resource to go untapped would be like \u201cleaving money on the table.\u201d Solar installations can bring electricity to remote communities where extending the national grid remains difficult and expensive.<\/p>\n

The nation is also home to one of Africa’s largest livestock populations, generating vast quantities of organic waste every day. Through modern biogas and biomass technologies, cattle dung can be converted into electricity, clean cooking gas, and organic fertiliser, creating economic opportunities while providing sustainable energy for rural communities.<\/p>\n

In countries such as India and China, millions of households already benefit from biogas produced from livestock waste. For South Sudan, biomass represents an opportunity to turn waste into wealth while reducing environmental degradation and dependence on firewood.<\/p>\n

Hydroelectricity offers another golden opportunity. The proposed development of a dam at Fula Water Falls in Nimule could be a game-changer for the national energy sector. Such a project would not only generate electricity but also support irrigation, flood control, and industrial growth. In countries like Ethiopia, hydropower has served as the engine of economic transformation, and South Sudan should not miss the boat.<\/p>\n

Beneath the surface lies another hidden treasure: geothermal energy. The country’s proximity to the East African Rift Valley system, coupled with the presence of hot springs and geothermal indicators in some oil-producing regions, suggests significant potential for future development. Unlike solar and wind resources, geothermal power operates around the clock. It does not sleep when the sun sets or pause when the wind is calm. Instead, it provides dependable baseload electricity, making it a valuable pillar of a modern energy system.<\/p>\n

Wind power must be included in the energy portfolio. Strong seasonal winds experienced across various regions can be utilised to generate electricity and complement solar generation. When combined with modern battery storage systems, these renewable sources can work hand in hand to provide a more stable and resilient supply.<\/p>\n

The road to energy security is not paved by a single source of electricity. Rather, the country should pursue a diversified energy mix that combines solar, hydropower, geothermal, wind, and future nuclear technologies. Such an approach would reduce dependence on imported fuel, lower electricity costs, attract investment, create jobs, and strengthen national resilience. By harnessing the power of the sun, rivers, wind, and the earth itself, South Sudan can turn the page on energy insecurity and build a brighter future for generations to come.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ajak John Ateng, President of the Geological Society of South Sudan, can be reached via email: geosssinfo21@gmail.com.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Disclaimer:<\/strong> Opinions published on our platforms do not represent our position but are solely the responsibility of the author.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Ajak John Ateng For far too long, South Sudan has been caught between abundant natural wealth and persistent energy poverty. While the nation possesses vast resources, millions of citizens still struggle with unreliable electricity, forcing businesses, schools, hospitals, and households to depend on costly diesel generators and imported fuel.[Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":45564,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[89,90,87],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-columnists","category-commentary","category-oped"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Ajak-John-Ateng.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45563"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45563\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45567,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45563\/revisions\/45567"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}