This is the first in the series of 10 guidance notes under the Energy Sector Reform Assessment Framework (ESRAF), an initiative of the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) of the World Bank. ESRAF proposes a guide to analyzing energy subsidies, the impacts of subsidies and their...

Examination of the financial viability of power sectors in 39 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa shows that only two countries have a financially viable power sector, and only 19 cover operating expenditures. Quasi-fiscal deficits average 1.5 percent of gross domestic product. If operational...

The paper presents the nine country cases and draws lessons in the concluding section. Indonesia, which is the only country in this paper that has retained universal price subsidies to date, is covered first. Senegal, with repeated attempts to end price subsidies followed by re-introduction, is...

Recent household surveys from 52 developing economies that include questions about energy use show that the most commonly cited primary energy for cooking is wood, followed by gas, natural gas and, where natural gas is not available, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and then by electricity. Biogas...

For those who prefer to cook with gas but are not connected to a natural gas pipeline-and nearly all rural households fall under this category, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is the main option. For those for whom LPG is too costly and wish to cook with biomass because of its ready availability,...