Good deposits of both oil and natural gas have been found in the sea off the coast of the country, but no extraction has yet begun. Other natural resources are fertile soil, forest and good fishing waters.
In the late 1990s, significant deposits of oil were found and when test drilling began in 2006, natural gas was also found. Oil companies from primarily the US, Nigeria and Angola are involved in the exploitation of oil resources.
COUNTRYAAH: Major exports by Sao Tome and Principe with a full list of the top products exported by the country. Includes trade value in U.S. dollars and the percentage for each product category.
About 60 percent of the residents have access to electricity. Electricity distribution is uneven and a lot of power is lost due to the electricity grid being degraded and thieves being common. Power outages often occur.
About three-quarters of the electricity is produced in heat plants, which are mainly fired with imported oil. The rest is extracted by hydropower. An expansion of hydropower has begun.
Abbreviationfinder: A popular acronym site in the world covering abbreviation for each country. For example, ST stands for Sao Tome and Principe. Visit itypeusa for more information about Sao Tome and Principe.
FACTS – ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT
Energy use per person
275 kilos of oil equivalent (2007)
Carbon dioxide emissions in total
114,000 tonnes (2014)
Carbon dioxide emissions per inhabitant
0.6 ton (2014)
The share of energy from renewable sources
41.1 percent (2015)
2012
December
Coalition government is added
President Pinto da Costa dismisses the government and proposes attorney Gabriel Ferreira da Costa as new head of government. Ferreira leads the small party UDD, formed by an outbreak of ADI and lacking representation in parliament. Ferreira da Costa was prime minister for a short period of 2002. He now forms a coalition government between MLSTP-PSD, PCD and MDFM (read about the parties under the Political system).
November
The government is falling down
The opposition shakes Prime Minister Patrice Trovoada’s government in a vote of no confidence in Parliament. Members of all three opposition parties vote to dismiss the minority government.
