Monitoring and evaluating the Senegal Power Compact
nLine deployed 175 sensors across Kaolack and Kaffrine regions to provide data for the Social Impact-led independent evaluation of the $57.3 million Access Project, part of the $600 million Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Senegal Power Compact. For the next four years, nLine will remotely collect power quality and reliability data and generate key performance indicators (KPIs) to evaluate to what extent the Access Project’s investments in medium voltage lines and grid protective devices achieved its targeted outcome: to reduce technical losses and the frequency and duration of power outages for SENELEC customers in areas outside of Dakar.
Motivation
Although Senegal possesses a 78% national electrification rate (World Bank, 2022), one of the highest on the continent, electricity challenges remain in peri-urban and rural areas outside the capital city of Dakar. In rural areas electrification rates are estimated at 55% (World Bank, 2022), the quality and reliability of grid-supplied electricity varies meaningfully among rural communities, and connection costs are high for potential grid customers. Frequent and prolonged power outages, voltage spikes, and low voltage levels reduce the benefits of electricity for households and business, ultimately constraining economic well-being and productivity.
Senegal Constraints Analysis Report, 2017↗As demand for electricity grows much faster than its supply, Senegal is facing serious concerns. The national utility SENELEC lacks access to funds for investments in power plants and transmission-lines in order to cope with increasing demand. Reserve capacity presently is insufficient, causing frequent (scheduled or unscheduled) outages of whole districts, while transmission losses, old thermal power plants and increasing oil prices result in high average production costs. The insufficient quantity and quality of electricity result in reduced productivity, output, and investment for businesses, less effective delivery of public and social services, and diminished well-being and economic opportunity for households.
The five-year, Senegal Power Compact aims to strengthen the nation’s power sector through several projects, one of which is to increase reliability and access to electricity in per-urban and rural areas.
nLine is able to measure changes in electricity quality and reliability with a higher degree of granularity and precision than traditional data sources, such as surveys or low-resolution utility data. With nLine sensor data, Social Impact’s evaluation team aims to answer the following evaluation question:
Did the Access project achieve its stated Objective, to increase the supply and demand for quality electricity in rural and peri-urban areas of Senegal, in the timeframe and magnitude expected, as documented in the Monitoring and Evaluation Plan? Why or why not?
The Senegal Power Compact presents an opportunity to demonstrate at-scale how high-resolution, real-time, remote sensor data can inform rigorous evaluation of major grid infrastructure programs. By extensively sampling reliability (outages) and quality (voltage) at the distribution level, nLine will provide utility-independent measurements on the performance of the power grid over time and across specified geographic areas.
Project Description
This evaluation focuses exclusively on the Access Project, one of three projects under the Senegal Power Compact. Within the Access Project is the Distribution Network Reinforcement Activity (DNRA) which addresses constraints on electricity access and electricity service quality in rural and peri-urban areas.
MCA‐Senegal II Monitoring and Evaluation Plan↗The Distribution Network Reinforcement Activity (DNRA) aims to improve the service quality and reduce technical losses on the distribution network in certain areas of Dakar. The project is expected to improve the quality of electricity provided on the SENELEC network through installation of remote sensors and switches, medium voltage loops, voltage regulators and capacitors, and a new medium voltage feeder to support the Nioro sub-region. The “Nioro Solution” represents 35% of the total activity budget and focuses on the construction of a new MV line to reduce overloading on the existing feeder serving the Nioro sub-region. Ultimately, the project aims to improve operational efficiency of the medium voltage network and is expected to impact 181,000 beneficiaries
nLine sensors measure outage duration, outage frequency, and voltage quality. nLine’s GridWatch technology is able to detect when a large number of sensors in a particular area experience an outage at the same time, and can thereby distinguish between low, medium and high-voltage outages with a high degree of confidence.
Households and small business consent to having a sensor plugged in at their location and receive a monthly compensation for ensuring the sensor remains installed.
By extensively sampling across the Nioro medium voltage network, nLine is also able to map nuanced electricity reliability variations and trends within localized areas (i.e. among communities and at specific distribution transformers).
Key Insights
Ultimately, nLine sensor data will be used to evaluate the following objective and key outcomes:
Improved Supply and Demand for Quality Electricity in Rural and Peri-Urban Areas of Senegal
- Reduction in service interruptions
- Improved performance and reliability of the distribution network
- Improved voltage stability
- Improved electricity service quality for customer
For research & development and early insights on this project, take a look at the linked content below. Detailed results are forthcoming in 2028. Stay tuned!