South Sudan Focuses on Expanding Power Network to Boost Electricity Access

South Sudan is advancing a multi-million-dollar expansion of its national electrical grid and regional transmission network ahead of the upcoming South Sudan Oil & Power (SSOP) 2026 conference.

The summit is scheduled to hold in Juba on November 24-25, 2026.

Central to the expansion is the World Bank-funded South Sudan Energy Sector Access and Institutional Strengthening Project (ASSIST), a $53 million initiative featuring a $16.8 million international procurement package aimed at designing, supplying and commissioning grid densification infrastructure across the capital.

The project is expected to connect thousands of new residential, commercial and industrial consumers.

Complementing the domestic network upgrades, South Sudan is also moving forward with cross-border energy integration projects to import regional generation capacity and stabilise national supply.

Read Also: HON RAUF OLAWALE AGE-SULAIMAN: A VOICE FOR THE VULNERABLE AS AMUWO-ODOFIN LAWMAKER CHAIRS KEY COWLSO 2026 SESSION.

Implementation officially began in September 2026 on the South Sudan-Uganda Power Interconnection Project. The project, backed by African Development Fund financing – including $121 million allocated for the Ugandan section and $33.66 million for South Sudan – will construct a 400-kV transmission line between Olwiyo and Juba.

The line is capable of delivering an average annual energy transfer of 624 GWh to over 286,000 citizens.

Similarly, the African Development Bank approved supplementary funding in May 2026 for the Juba Distribution System Rehabilitation and Expansion Project to construct 357 km of low-voltage lines and 201 transformer stations, while facilitating future interconnections with Ethiopia’s power grid.

The upcoming SSOP 2026 summit will serve as the primary platform for government officials, international financiers, regional utilities and engineering contractors to coordinate funding and technology deployment for these mid-stream and downstream power assets.

As South Sudan seeks to scale up transmission infrastructure, the event will feature strategic project showcases and investor roundtables designed to mobilise capital and accelerate execution across the country’s growing energy portfolio.