KEY POINTS
- Former Sudan Energy Minister Abdelrahman calls for a national energy charter to guide post-war reconstruction.
- The paper proposes a 2040 energy mix of 40 percent hydro, 30 percent solar, 20 percent thermal and 10 percent wind.
- Abdelrahman argues Sudan’s energy resources position it to become a regional electricity hub connecting neighbors.
Sudan’s former energy minister says the country cannot rebuild without first putting energy at the center of everything. In a research paper presented this week, Eng. Khairy Abdelrahman Ahmed called for a national energy charter to guarantee fair electricity production, transmission and distribution across the country, warning that unequal energy access has directly fueled instability and conflict.
The paper, titled The Role of Balanced Energy in the Strategic Vision of Rebuilding the Sudanese State, argued that Sudan needs a new social development contract anchored in equitable energy access. Abdelrahman identified three core priorities: justice in energy distribution, protection of energy infrastructure during conflict and coordinated national planning and investment.
He pushed specifically for historically deprived regions to be prioritized, saying the development gap between Sudan’s center and its marginalized periphery must be narrowed through deliberate policy and targeted infrastructure investment.
War exposed Sudan’s energy vulnerability
The paper did not spare harsh language about what the conflict revealed. Widespread power outages disrupted hospitals, water stations and communications networks across the country, exposing how fragile the national grid had become. Abdelrahman described energy facilities as sovereign infrastructure “no less important than airports and military bases,” calling for modern protection systems using advanced communications technology and artificial intelligence.
He advocated the rehabilitation and expansion of Sudan’s damaged national electricity grid alongside decentralized solutions including mini-grids and solar systems to keep essential services running in war-affected areas.
A roadmap to 2040 and regional integration
The paper proposed a unified national energy strategy developed in collaboration with universities, Sudanese experts abroad, private sector actors and international financing institutions. Its recommended energy mix by 2040 breaks down as 40 percent hydroelectric power, 30 percent solar energy, 20 percent thermal power and 10 percent wind energy.
Abdelrahman argued that Sudan’s hydroelectric, solar, wind, oil and gas resources give the country a genuine opportunity to become a regional energy hub, particularly through electrical interconnection projects with Egypt and neighboring states. The paper cautioned against overreliance on hydropower given climate change risks and stressed fair management of oil and gas revenues to support local development.
On financing, Abdelrahman flagged external funding conditions as a persistent obstacle to major energy project development. He also argued that strengthening the national electricity grid could itself help preserve Sudan’s territorial unity, by deepening economic interdependence between regions and raising the political cost of separation.
