Power and Water Scarcity in Yemen

Transcription

1 Power and Water Scarcity in Yemen - The Benefits from REDSHILD Energy Resources 2 nd Session of MEDSHILD & REDSHILD, Geneva 20/21 October 2015 Prof. Dr. Hussain Al-Towaie University of Aden, YEMEN < altowaie@yemen.net.ye >

2 Yemen is located in Southwest Asia at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula between Oman and Saudi Arabia. It is situated at the entrance to the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, which links the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean.

3 General Features of Yemen Yemen is one of the least electrified countries in the MENA region and the world, it has one of the most pressing water problems in the world, it has also one of the lowest per capita incomes in the MENA region and the population is growing rapidly at an average rate of about 3% per annum.

4 Water Crisis in Yemen Mainly ground water Annual renewable resources 2.5 BMC. Annual withdrawals 3.4 BMC. Total no. of wells in Yemen: 100,000 Annual withdrawals exceeds the renewable resources by 36%. In Sana'a withdrawals exceeds renewable resources by 400%.

5 Water Crisis in Yemen Water availability becomes less and within 10 years per capita consumption is predicted to fall by 50% (from 125 m3 to 62.5 m3 per year). Rapid rate of aquifers exhaustion, Lack of secure bulk water supply and Low access to safe water & sanitation services.

6 Electricity Supply: Energy Crisis in Yemen - interrupted electricity supply - low access to electricity in rural as well as in urban areas - most of the electricity is for domestic purposes - Public power grid is old, outdated and inefficient

7 Energy Crisis in Yemen Electricity Supply: - Corruption and poor management are the features of the electricity sector - Many power stations are obsolete. It is risky to operate them further - the major part of electricity consumed in the country comes from self - generation with fossil fuels - there are about 400,000 small and medium generators in the country

8 Public Grid: Cost of electricity in Yemen - Generation capacity rate (max.) = 1 GW - Total generation capacity (actual) = 4000 GWh/year - Total cost (generation, distribution, overhead and others) = 0.3 US-$/ kwh - Selling price = 0.10 US-$/ kwh - Accordingly: government subsidies = 0.20 US-$/ kwh - Total government subsidies = 800 Million US-$/ year

9 Cost of electricity in Yemen Private Generators: - Number of small and medium generators in the country is 400,000 - Total cost of private generators = 100 Million US-$/year (This includes depreciation, maintenance, spare parts, fuel and others).

10 Cost of electricity in Yemen Yemen is one of the least electrified countries in the MENA region and in the world Public grid power generation: 0.5 kwh/day/capita Yemen pays a high price for the poor quality and frequent interruptions of the power supply!!!!!! It spends: = 900 Million US-$ annually.. Why???

11 ENERGY is bottleneck for electricity and water. Can Yemen rely on fossil fuels to secure power and water supply? Present indications: - Field reserves - 3 Billion barrels of oil and Billion m³ gas with the present production rate the oil reserves will be depleted in If gas takes over most of oil services after 2025 it is unlikely that gas will reach much beyond 2045, unless new fields are discovered.

12 Yemen must go for renewables to avoid tension, conflicts and collapse of the whole country Therefore, the option of renewable energy is the basis for a water and energy supply system with long-term security. The concept, strategy and goals of the Millennium Energy Project "MEDSHILD & REDSHILD" propose and offer a thorough sustainable solution for energy and water in Yemen "MEDSHILD & REDSHILD fits and matches well to be chosen as the preferred strategy for water and energy security to safe Yemen and avoiding tension, conflicts and collapse of the whole country.

13 Requirements for a successful solution for Yemen Yemen needs large investment to build and operate large power generation projects. But the investment alone cannot help Yemen. The priority for Yemen is to win the battle against corruption. Parallel to MEDSHILD and REDSHILD we need to develop new concepts for the development aid and an anti-corruption policy. After 50 years of development aid, Yemen became aid-dependent. The over-reliance on aid was trapping Yemen into a vicious circle of aid dependency and corruption. Therefore, Yemen needs a new road map for financing development of Yemen that guarantees sustainable solutions. The above statements are valid also for many other developing countries with similar conditions.

14 YEMEN and MENA-REGION Water shortages in Yemen provide a glimpse of what the future may look like for the entire Middle East and North Africa region. A World Bank report reveals that if current trends continue the whole region will get hotter and drier. Shorter growing seasons could threaten food security and competition for dwindling natural resources could fuel conflict. Yemen's collapse threatens the stability of the entire region. Breakdown of water supply in Yemen would put the whole region into a politically stressful situation that could endanger the stability.

15 Per capita available renewable water by Region

16 Per capita available renewable water in MENA

17 The degradation of renewable resources will continue, if no appropriate action is taken!

18 Future Impact of Climate Change is Visible Now in Yemen Yemen today is a glimpse of what s in store for other parts of the Middle East and North Africa. Say thank you to Yemen! Because it gives us not only a prediction, how our region will be like in the near future, but it presents a strong evidence figure of our future catastrophic situation if we stay idle. Time is about to run out for a solution

19 Urgent distress call! MEDSHILD and REDSHILD! We need you. Please, come! If you decide to come, please, don't come late! Time is running out for a solution!

20 My Realistic Imagination: If I would live another 100 years until 2115: If in 2115 one of my grandchildren asks me why our environment is so destroyed, then I will feel guilty, because I belonged to the generation that contributed to the destruction of the environment or simply not considered all the warning signs. At that moment, I will dream in my imagination to go back and make mankind understand the warning signs that were sent from Yemen 100 years ago, when we still had time to save our Planet Earth.

21

22