Baseline and Feasibility Assessment for Alternative Cooking Fuels in Senegal
This report was prepared by Practical Action Consulting for the Africa Clean Cooking Energy Solutions (ACCES) initiative of the World Bank. Most of Sub-Saharan Africa continues to rely overwhelmingly on traditional fuels and cooking technologies, both of which are a major cause of death and illness as well as a range of socio-economic and environmental problems. More than 90 per cent of the rural population of Senegal relies on solid fuels (charcoal and firewood in particular, but also dung and agricultural residues) to meet its household cooking needs. The primary objective of this study is, (a) to establish a baseline for the current level of penetration of four alternative cooking fuels in Senegal in a number of pre-identified regions, and (b) to assess the feasibility of adopting them in those regions. The four fuels are briquettes from charcoal dust and agricultural residues; ethanol, mainly from sugar cane residue (that is, molasses); pure plant oil (PPO) from locally grown, oil-bearing plants such as Jatropha curcas; and a household biogas system using mainly livestock waste. Against this background, the World Bank commissioned this study to assess the feasibility of promoting the use of a number of alternative cooking fuels in Senegal, which were pre-identified for possible support under its Sustainable and Participatory Energy Management Project (PROGEDE II). Four alternative fuels were analysed in terms of their potential for adoption by households for cooking, each in a different region of Senegal: (a) briquettes in Dakar, (b) ethanol in Saint-Louis, (c) biogas in Kaolack, and (d) pure plant oil (PPO) in Tambacounda. The study includes a baseline assessment of household cooking fuels in Senegal, including a number of alternative fuels, as well as an analysis of their potential supply chains. Its objective is to inform a range of relevant stakeholders, in particular the Ministry of Energy and Mines in Senegal, the World Bank's PROGEDE II, nongovernmental organisations, investors and private sector companies, about strategies to increase production of and access to these alternative fuels. The study also presents important lessons on each alternative fuel deriving from household surveys in each region, a review of the relevant literature, interviews with stakeholder organisations, and focus group discussions (FGDs).