Sudan electricity: from my villages to Clainib – the face of the truth – ✍️ Ibrahim Shaqlawi
Reading the political transformations observed in Sudan, electricity appears as a sovereign pillar which is closely linked to the fate of the state and its national security. The Prime Minister’s visit, Dr. Kamel Idris, at the “Clainib” station to express a clear vision that the construction of the future only begins from the energy door. This visit constitutes a declaration of a new political will which puts energy at the heart of national reconstruction projects, where the politician meets development.
In this article, we review the history of “villages” and “Klanayib” stations, and we highlight the importance of this visit to the light of the future vision of the energy sector in Sudan.
The roots of the “Villages” and “Clarib” project date back to December 2016, when the Ministry of Water Resources, Irrigation and Electricity signed an agreement with the German company “Siemens” to establish two electric factories in the villages of Qary and Port Sudan with a total capacity of 950 megawatts, with a future plan to increase it to 1270 megawatts using the complex cycle system. We attended the signing of this agreement at the time and we participated in the discussion of the development plan which adopted the “Qarya industrial” field as a strategic location for the manufacturing industries.
The installation of the units began the following year, but the political agitation and the fall of the regime of the former president in 2019 negatively affected the implementation, so that the stages of operation were late, and the project concluded a state of administrative stagnation.
Siemens has a qualitative stage in Sudan’s energy policies. The choice of the villages of Qary and Port Soudan was not random, because a village has a proximity to the Khartoum refinery and its industrial zone, while Port Soudan is the main seaport of the country. This distribution reflects a balanced vision to provide energy to the center and to the parts together, in the light of a continuous sleep of requests to reach the justice of development.
This vision has expressed part of a complete strategic plan developed by the ministry since 2015 and aims to increase the complex capacity of electricity production to 6,500 megawatts by 2030, by expanding thermal stations, by improving renewable energy projects and by diversifying energy sources, in particular natural gas, fossil fuel, solar energy and wind.
For years, the “villages 1” and “villages 2” stations were the main pillar of the capital and the surrounding area, with a production capacity of 400 megawatts. It was planned to complete the “Villages 3” system by adding 450 megawatts to the complex cycle project, in a strategic decision to counter the growing deficit in electricity supply, which reached around 20% per year.
As for the “Clainib” station at Port Sudan, recently visited by the Prime Minister, Dr. Kamal Idris, this is a double impact project; It is not satisfied with the production of electricity of a capacity of up to 500 megawatts, but also produces 80 cubic meters of pure water per hour, which contributes to improving water safety in an area that suffers from water shortage.
Idris confirmed that the station will be part of the priorities of his government, stressing its commitment to support the completion of the project which began in 2016 and then stopped due to financing difficulties. The rebirth of this project symbolizes a qualitative change in government policies, depending on the realization of what started instead of replacing it, while relying on technical solutions with an integrated impact of development. The Clarib station should have a fundamental change in the energy map of the Red Sea region.
It should be noted that the design of the station is based on the efficiency of the use of fuel by exploiting the temperature of the gas exhaust, in a manner which links the project to modern environmental standards and supports the durability objectives. The cost of the station and the transmission line to connect it to the national network are about $ 200 million at that time, which reflects a significant investment in the future of energy in the eastern Sudan, and strengthens the Sudan port site as an energy and industry center.
In addition, the plans of the electricity sector emphasize the importance of moving towards low -cost sources by introducing alternative and renewable energies “solar, wind and energy of the earth”, and by increasing the efficiency of existing stations by rehabilitation and maintenance, in particular since many of them have excessive its conservation, as well as the distress which has caused certain facilities War, as is the case in the case of drug addiction.
According to what we see from the face of the truth, the electricity sector has become an integral part of the equation of sovereignty and reconstruction in Sudan. Despite the major challenges that this sector is confronted with financing, legislation and policies, the Prime Minister Kamel Idris’s allowance is his first field visits to the “Clainib” station – as the start of executive work – reflects the highest priority in this sector in the national reform project. Electricity has become a mirror of state sovereignty and its capacity, because there is no reconstruction without energy or an effective state of electricity system. Nevertheless, the open question remains: has the government the will and the capacity to convert this ambitious vision into a tangible reality that draws the characteristics of the new Sudan?
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