Somalia relies on imported petroleum products for the production of its electric energy. Installed capacity in 2001 was 70,000 kW, almost entirely thermal; total production was 250 million kWh, more than double the 1991 amount and all from fossil fuels. Consumption of electricity in 2000 was 232.5 billion kWh. Civil conflict has delayed the development of new electrical capacity, including a dam scheduled to be built on the Juba River near Baardheere, which was to have added 10,000 kW to Somalia's installed capacity. Also delayed are plans for development of wind power.
Somalia is entirely dependent on imports to fill its oil needs. An oil refinery, built with Iraqi assistance, opened at Gesira, near Mogadishu, in 1978 but has not operated since 1991. Petroleum consumption was 4,000 barrels per day in 2000. As of 2002, Somalia had proven natural gas reserves of 5.7 billion cu m. The only immediately exploitable domestic sources of energy are firewood and charcoal.
The East African country of some 10 million people has electricity that is among the most expensive in the world. A kilowatt of electricity in the Somali capital can cost as much as $1 an hour. That is five times more expensive than in neighbouring Kenya and 10 times more than in the United States