{ "id": "R43593", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "R43593", "active": true, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 445388, "date": "2015-09-14", "retrieved": "2016-04-06T18:23:56.160427", "title": "Powering Africa: Challenges of and U.S. Aid for Electrification in Africa", "summary": "The largest infrastructure deficit in sub-Saharan Africa, a region mostly made up of low income developing countries, is in the power sector, according to the World Bank. Rates of access to electricity in Africa are very low by global standards, notably in rural areas. About 57% of Africans, or about 621 million people, lack access to electricity (also referred to as \u201cpower\u201d in this report). Whether measured in terms of generation and distribution capacity, electricity consumption, or security of supply, Africa\u2019s power sector delivers a fraction of the service needed or found elsewhere in the developing world. Power consumption is a tenth of that found elsewhere in the developing world, and per capita access is gradually falling, because new power infrastructure construction has not kept up with growing populations and electricity demands. The contrast between Africa and the developed world with respect to power capacities is particularly stark. Africa has a generation capacity of about 106 megawatts (MW) per million people, while that of the United States was about 3,320 megawatts MW per million people\nThe lack of power constrains development in the region in multiple ways: It limits economic production, growth, and commerce; undermines human resource development and hinders improved quality of life potentials; and limits the quality of social services and public safety. It also spurs the use of alternative, often highly polluting biomass energy sources (e.g., wood and charcoal) for cooking and lighting. Estimates of African power requirements and the corresponding need for financing vary widely, but are invariably high. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) reports that about $15 to $20 billion in annual investment through 2030 may be needed to achieve universal access to electricity, a figure roughly in line with a 2012 International Energy Agency (IEA) estimate.\nThe United States has long provided varied technical and other assistance to increase access to power in Africa, but new U.S. efforts in this area are under way. The Electrify Africa Act of 2014 (H.R. 2548), which sought to increase U.S. support for electrification, was introduced in the 113th Congress, in June 2013. Days later, President Obama announced the Power Africa initiative, which seeks to achieve similar ends. Broader U.S. policy interests linked to Power Africa include U.S.-African trade and investment expansion and U.S.-African cooperation focused on development and poverty alleviation. The House passed H.R. 2548 in May 2014. A Senate bill, S. 2508 (Menendez, the Energize Africa Act of 2014) was also introduced in the 113th Congress. Similar new bills, H.R. 2847 (Royce, the Electrify Africa Act of 2015) and S. 1933 (Corker, the Electrify Africa Act of 2015) have been introduced in the 114th Congress.\nU.S. agencies participating in Power Africa have committed up to $9.71 billion to the initiative through 2018, in the form of technical aid, grants, export and trade capital and risk mitigation tools, loans, and other resources. Power Africa is also designed to enhance power sector institutions and address constraints to investment; aid in regional energy resource development; and enhance energy sector governance. Twelve U.S. agencies play a role in Power Africa and coordinate their efforts through an inter-agency forum chaired by White House National Security Council staff and USAID. The main project-implementing Power Africa agencies are USAID; the Overseas Private Investment Corporation; the U.S. Export-Import Bank; the Millennium Challenge Corporation; the U.S. Trade and Development Agency; and the U.S. African Development Foundation. In general, Power Africa agencies use their existing authorities, funding sources, and program processes to determine project eligibility or selection under the initiative. This report discusses Power Africa; policy problems and challenges related to power sector development in Africa; long-term perspectives on energy poverty, need, and future development; and raises some possible oversight questions and issues for Congress.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R43593", "sha1": "f78bd8014e5835c314f0e1a3d83d325b107517b4", "filename": "files/20150914_R43593_f78bd8014e5835c314f0e1a3d83d325b107517b4.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R43593", "sha1": "221ce9660dc82c2a4b730d118ca3a6c547541db5", "filename": "files/20150914_R43593_221ce9660dc82c2a4b730d118ca3a6c547541db5.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 276, "name": "Sub-Saharan Africa" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc743408/", "id": "R43593_2015Aug17", "date": "2015-08-17", "retrieved": "2015-10-20T21:35:54", "title": "Powering Africa: Challenges of and U.S. Aid for Electrification in Africa", "summary": "This report discusses the Power Africa initiative; policy problems and challenges related to power sector development in Africa; long-term perspectives on energy poverty, need, and future development; and raises some possible oversight questions and issues for Congress.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20150817_R43593_c49901dcfd0776be8247d1500120b0980186156e.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20150817_R43593_c49901dcfd0776be8247d1500120b0980186156e.html", "source": "pymupdf" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Energy", "name": "Energy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Electric power", "name": "Electric power" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Electrification", "name": "Electrification" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign aid", "name": "Foreign aid" } ] } ], "topics": [ "African Affairs", "Economic Policy", "Energy Policy", "Foreign Affairs" ] }