Senegal-Ambassador meets the Minister of Renewable Energy

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SUBJECT: Senegal-Ambassador meets the Minister of Renewable Energy

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SUMMARY
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1. (SBU) On March 30, Ambassador paid a courtesy call on Christian
Sina Diatta, the Minister of Biofuels, Renewable Energy and
Scientific Research, to discuss alternative energy possibilities and
nuclear power in Senegal. End Summary

Downbeat
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2. (SBU) Minister Diatta is a mathematician by education and has a
solid reputation for being well versed in the portfolio for which
his Ministry is responsible. During the meeting he underlined that
his Ministry was considering every type of alternative energy
possible in order to increase Senegal's energy output, which is
currently well below demand. However, the Minister was decidedly
downbeat about the prospect of using alternative technologies in
Senegal citing, the high cost of importing solar panels, weak and
seasonal winds off Senegal's coast and unstable undersea currents.
Furthermore, the Minister pointed out that even if Senegal was able
to produce more energy, the electricity grid is so out of date that
it could not efficiently carry the extra load. According to the
Minister, the grid dates from the colonial era, wryly adding, "As do
the laws governing the electricity sector."

Nuclear Power
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3. (SBU) Emphasizing that Senegal was party to all nuclear power and
proliferation-related conventions, the Minister had no illusions
that even if they started today it would be at least 15 years before
a civilian nuclear power station could be built in Senegal, or
anywhere in Africa: "We can't just set up a plant tomorrow. We need
to reach milestones in the process first. We need to set up the
knowledge base, train people, pass laws, and establish oversight
bodies. That being said smaller countries than us have nuclear
power, so why not?" Diatta noted that Senegal already has a law on
nuclear security, noting this was an absolute prerequisite for
considering building a nuclear power plant. Reminding that Senegal
had already discussed this possibility with France, the Minister
said Senegal wanted to work with a nuclear power on such a project.

Internal Warfare
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4. (SBU) Picked in order to satisfy the need to have both ethnic and
religious diversity in the Cabinet, according to observers, Minister
Diatta is a competent Minister with little real power, especially in
his own energy field, and he knows it. (Note: Diatta is Catholic
and a member of the Jolla ethnic group from the Casamance region of
southern Senegal.) The real power lies with the Minister of Energy,
Samuel Sarr, who also controls Senegal's electricity parasatal,
Senelec. The Minister said that his office had drafted two laws on
the use of alternative energy in Senegal, but that both laws had yet
to make their way through the Cabinet, "The national refinery
company SAR, would feel threatened by such a project as bio-fuels,
as would Senelec" he explained.

U.S.-Brazil Biofuels Cooperation
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5. (SBU) Now that Senegal is part of the second tranche of countries
in the U.S.-Brazil Biofuels Cooperation initiative, the Minister
asked the U.S. to "close the triangle" by having American technical
experts come to Senegal to work with his Ministry on planting and
managing a biofuel crop like jatropha, "Senegal has plenty of land
available that is currently being unused for any agricultural
productivity," he asserted. We would welcome companies that would
be willing to invest in setting up a jatropha growing operation here
so that we can produce biodiesel. Even if we can't convert our own
power plants to use biodiesel we can become exporters of green
energy." In answer to a question concerning the U.S. company Energy
Allied, which is already working in this field in Senegal, the
Minister was very dismissive and accused the company of being
arrogant in the way it treated the government. Having failed to
present at least one project to his Ministry, Diatta warned that
"They are falling behind other companies already here."

Comment
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6. (SBU) After having successfully defended his party's candidates
in the Casamance region in the recently concluded local elections,
Minister Diatta should keep his Cabinet seat. The Minister is a
knowledgeable interlocutor and is keen to work with the United
States on a variety of alternative energy possibilities for Senegal.
The Minister is also fully aware that he will need to find projects
that win the backing of President Abdoulaye Wade in order to trump

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Senegal's current energy providers. End Comment