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Country energy profile · Eastern Africa · latest data 2024

Somalia energy mix & electricity

Power plants in Somalia produced 430 GWh of electricity in 2024. Oil dominates the mix with 79.1%, followed by solar power at 18.6%.

Oil 79.1%Solar 18.6%Wind 2.3%
Renewable electricity
20.9%
20.9% low-carbon incl. nuclear
Carbon intensity
512g/kWh
World 458 g
Electricity per person
23kWh
World 3,860 kWh
Generation
430GWh
+80 GWh vs 2014
#183 of 213
Net exports
0TWh
0% of demand

The power system is very small (under 1 TWh a year), so it is not included in share-based world rankings. A single plant can change its mix dramatically from one year to the next.

Electricity generation by source in 2024

Share of electricity generation by source, with the change in percentage points over the last ten years.

Somalia electricity mix 2024
SourceTWhShare10-yr Δ pp
Oil0.3479.1%−20.9
Solar0.0818.6%+18.6
Wind0.012.3%+2.3
Total0.43100%

Somalia: electricity in context

Power plants in Somalia produced 430 GWh of electricity in 2024. That puts it in the same league as Eritrea. Oil dominates the mix with 79.1%, followed by solar power at 18.6%.

Renewables supplied 20.9% of the electricity. That is 13 points below the world average of 33.8%. It is also below the average for Africa (24.7%). The carbon intensity of electricity is 512 g CO₂e/kWh; the global average is 458 g/kWh. The grid is more carbon-intensive than the world average.

Over the past decade solar power added more generation than any other source (+80 GWh since 2014, plus 18.6 percentage points of share). The net effect: renewables gained 20.9 percentage points of share since 2014. Total generation grew by 80 GWh over the same period. Carbon intensity dropped from 657 to 512 g/kWh, a 22% cut.

Coal has essentially never been burned for electricity here: its share has stayed below 1% throughout the record.

Solar (18.6%) and wind (2.3%) now add up to 20.9% of generation; the global figure is 17.3%. Solar first passed 1% of the mix in 2016.

Generation per person is 23 kWh a year, 1% of the world average of 3,860 kWh. Somalia does not trade electricity with other countries: the grid is not interconnected with any neighbour.

How the power mix has changed

Electricity generation by source since 2000. Switch to shares to see the structural shift independent of demand growth.

Electricity generation by source, 2000–2024

Renewables and carbon intensity

Somalia against the world and Africa averages.

Renewable share of electricity (%)
Carbon intensity (g CO₂e/kWh)
Solar and wind share of electricity since 2000 (%)

Solar & wind farms: Somalia

22 utility-scale facilities tracked by Global Energy Monitor (2026): 56 MW of solar and 0 MW of wind operating, plus 140 MW under construction or planned.

See them on the mapLargest solar & wind farms: Somalia →

How does Somalia compare?

Somalia next to 6 neighbouring countries, plus regional and world averages. Click a column to sort; use “Compare” for full side-by-side charts.

CountryRenewable %Low-carbon %Fossil % gCO₂/kWhkWh / personGeneration TWhMix
Somalia 20.9% 20.9% 79.1% 512 23 0.4 —
Ethiopia 100% 100% 0% 23 246 33.4 Compare
Kenya 90% 90% 10% 95 244 14 Compare
Yemen 11.2% 11.2% 88.8% 592 129 5.3 Compare
Eritrea 11.1% 11.1% 88.9% 578 127 0.5 Compare
Oman 4.5% 4.5% 95.5% 544 9,617 52.8 Compare
United Arab Emirates 8.8% 31.7% 68.3% 468 16,075 177 Compare
Africa average 24.7% 25.5% 74.5% 544 635 962 Compare
World average 33.8% 42.6% 57.4% 458 3,860 31,772 Compare

Calculators for Somalia

Solar panel outputHow much a rooftop PV system would produce in Mogadishu, using NASA weather data.Prefilled for Mogadishu →Wind turbine energyAnnual energy and capacity factor of a turbine near Mogadishu.Prefilled for Mogadishu →Electricity CO₂Emissions of your electricity use. The grid here averages 512 g/kWh.Calculate emissions →Compare countriesPut Somalia side by side with Ethiopia or up to three others.Open comparator →

Somalia energy: frequently asked questions

What percentage of electricity in Somalia is renewable?
In 2024, 20.9% of the electricity in Somalia came from renewable sources (solar 18.6% and wind 2.3%). The world average is 33.8%.
What is the main source of electricity in Somalia?
Oil is the largest source of electricity in Somalia, providing 79.1% of generation in 2024, followed by solar power (18.6%) and wind power (2.3%).
How clean is the electricity in Somalia?
Electricity in Somalia has a carbon intensity of about 512 g CO₂-equivalent per kWh (2024), against a world average of 458 g/kWh. That is fairly carbon-intensive. Charging an electric car that uses 15 kWh/100 km therefore emits around 77 g CO₂e per km from electricity.
How much electricity does Somalia use per person?
Somalia generates about 23 kWh of electricity per person per year (2024), compared with a world average of 3,860 kWh. Including all fuels for transport, heating and industry, primary energy use is about 190 kWh per person.
How much solar power does Somalia produce?
Solar panels produced 80 GWh in 2024, 18.6% of the electricity in Somalia. The solar share is up 18.6 percentage points in ten years. You can estimate what a rooftop system would produce at your address with our solar panel calculator.

More countries in Africa

EgyptSouth AfricaAlgeriaMoroccoNigeriaLibyaEthiopiaGhanaTunisiaMozambiqueZambiaDR CongoAngolaSudanKenyaCôte d'IvoireZimbabweTanzaniaSenegalCameroonMaliUgandaRepublic of the CongoGuinea Africa overview →

Sources & references

  1. Our World in Data: Energy dataset (CC BY 4.0) — compiled from the sources below
  2. Ember: Yearly Electricity Data — generation, shares, carbon intensity
  3. Energy Institute: Statistical Review of World Energy — primary energy, fossil production
  4. U.S. Energy Information Administration: International Energy Data — gap-filling for smaller countries
  5. World Resources Institute: Global Power Plant Database v1.3 (CC BY 4.0) — power plant locations and capacity

Electricity data: Ember and Energy Institute Statistical Review via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0); latest year 2024. Power plants: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). Rankings exclude systems under 1 TWh and values older than 2020. Figures may be revised by the original publishers.