- Power Africa and Senegal have developed improved demand forecast modeling tool.
- It is expected that the tool will help to improve energy planning and infrastructure investment in the west African country.
Power Africa and Senegal’s national electric utility company Senelec have partnered to develop a power system planning tool for improved energy demand forecasting. This tool will enable Senelec better forecast short and long-term energy demand and plan necessary investments in power infrastructure.
The new tool will also make it easier for Senelec to prepare for unforeseen circumstances like the COVID-19 pandemic. Before developing this tool, Senelec utilized an internal demand forecast modeling tool that did not account for energy demand by region, weather, and usage conditions. As a result, energy demand forecasts were unreliable, and estimates of the investments needed to develop infrastructure inadequate.
According to Power Africa, this tool can enable “Senelec to make informed energy infrastructure investment decisions to reach universal electricity access by 2025.” The utility will now have the capacity to “make better investment decisions about power generation capacities, transmission and distribution grid expansion.”
Power Africa also provided training to Senelec staff on the new forecast modeling tool. This is expected to promote best practices and ensure the long-term sustainability of the tool.