South Sudan eyes critical minerals for renewable energy transition

JUBA – South Sudan is planning to tap into its critical mineral resources to fuel a transition to renewable energy, the country said on Wednesday.

The nation aims to leverage geothermal, wind, and hydro power to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and lower carbon emissions.

This initiative, outlined in a strategic energy transition blueprint, is designed to revolutionize South Sudan’s energy sector.

The second validation meeting for the Development of an Energy Transition Strategy, which kicked off on Wednesday, brought together government officials, experts, and stakeholders to discuss the plan.

Dr. Cosmas Pitia Kujjo, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Mining, emphasized the importance of energy for sustainable development and highlighted the challenges faced by industries due to power shortages.

He stressed the government’s commitment to exploring renewable energy sources, including hydropower, solar, and wind power.

“Energy is the one of the most important requirements or pillars of sustainable development. We cannot have a real sustainable development without energy and that’s why we are in need of. The government is putting that priority in order to extract our minerals,” he said.

“For instance, in infrastructure – we need cement, we need iron all that cannot be done without power for energy. We need to plan for the future, how will you be doing transition from whatever fuel we have into renewable (energy).

“The deliberation of all this will be led to the fruitful outcome and I am really optimistic and that will lead us into objective we plan for,” he added.

Victoria R. Nalule, CEO of Nalule Energy & Minerals Consultants, noted that the strategic energy transition blueprint provides a roadmap for South Sudan to utilize its oil and gas resources while transitioning to renewable energy at its own pace.

“In this document, we are creating a pathway on how South Sudan can be able to utilize its oil and gas and at the same time be able to tap its other resources like renewable energy which is very keen,” said Ms. Nalule.

“This document creates a pathway of how South Sudan can achieve that but on its own pace without being forced by the international community,” she added.

She also highlighted the challenges faced by small-scale miners, such as a lack of protective gear.

David Thiang, a microeconomist and African Development Bank consultant, urged the Ministry of Mining to implement the recommendations and resolutions of the strategic plan.