Gambia s energy storage development prospects

Providing access to electricity to support inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development is one of the pivotal cornerstones of the Gambia government's priorities as articulated in the national energy sector policies and strategies, and highlighted in the National Development Plan (2018-2021).

Solar: with dramatically falling solar and battery storage costs, and abundant solar resources in The Gambia, competitively procured solar-with-storage IPPs offer The Gambia an excellent opportunity to introduce clean and low cost energy into the mix.

According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), The Gambia only had 2 MW of installed solar photovoltaic capacity at the close of 2022. Similarly, in the realm of wind energy, only small-scale projects initiated by private investors and non-governmental organizations are currently in operation.

An unprecedented level of support from the international community provides The Gambia with the opportunity to transform the energy sector and emerge as one of the leading energy sectors in the sub-region and the African continent. In this context, the Electricity Roadmap has undergone its third update since 2015.

The Gambia's power sector will soon need additional generation capacity to be able to cover the forecast demand. A gap between available capacity and peak demand is identified from 2022 with the expiration of the Karpower contract and by 2025 nearly 140 MW of new capacity will be needed.

The roadmap represents the strategic masterplan for the electricity sub-sector of The Gambia fully consistent with the macroeconomic, energy, investment and climate-related policies of the government of The Gambia and embodies the high-level vision of the Government for the development of the sector over the next 20 years.