Integration of renewable energies and nuclear power into North African Energy Systems: An analysis of energy import and export effects

The North African countries Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt have been and are currently experiencing rapid growth in energy demand. This development confronts their political leaders with the question of how to expand or diversify their countries' generation capacities. In this context, renewable energies and nuclear power constitute options that have rarely been exploited so far in the region. This article analyzes the drawbacks and benefits of both alternatives, with a special focus on import and export dynamics. When attempting to make the strategic decision between renewables and atomic power, North African regional specifics and circumstances have to be taken into account. Hence, in a first step, the article characterizes the energy systems of the North African countries and presents scenarios for their future development. In a second step, it scrutinizes the energy challenges these states face in terms of domestic concerns and foreign affairs. Finally, a case study of Algeria is used to demonstrate how renewable energies, but not nuclear power, are able to respond to North African energy challenges. - Research highlights: → Using nuclear power would require fuel imports over the entire operation time. → Hence, energy exporters (Algeria, Libya) would become dependent on fuel imports. → Renewable energies can make North African countries less fuel import dependent. → Nuclear technologies would have to be imported over the whole life cycle of plants. → Domestic production for renewables technologies could be established after a first phase of technology imports.