West African power deficit.
prob 0.47
severity 3.3 / 5 · revision 2026-05-07watch · 13 West African economies · power + industry$ shortage country get BEN > stress_index: 0.57 WATCH > 1 events · 1 scenarios > refreshed 2026-05-17
BRENT $84.27 ▲ TTF €31.50 ▼ OPEC_SP 3.8 mb/d ● SPR_US 372.4 Mb FAO_FFPI 121.4 ▲
The v3.2 stress index is a six-axis composite of energy and food exposure, geopolitical pressure, fiscal headroom, demography and supply concentration, normalised to a 0–1 scale.
Benin imports all of its fuel, with a long history of informal cross-border supply from Nigeria, and is now the export terminus of the new pipeline carrying Niger's crude to the sea. Cotton is its main export. Power supply leans on imports and gas from the West African pipeline.
Benin faces a long dry season and recurrent drought, with northern reservoirs falling low.
| STOCK TYPE | RESERVE | DAYS COVER | STATUS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oil · imported fuel stocksAll fuel is imported; informal supply from Nigeria has long filled gaps. | limited | 20days | WATCH |
| Crude transit · Niger pipeline terminusBenin is the coastal export terminus of the pipeline carrying Niger's crude. | new | — | STABLE |
| Grain · commercial stocksCereal output covers most demand; rice is partly imported. | limited | 45days | WATCH |
$ curl -s https://api.shortage.life/v1/countries/BEN | jq '.stress' > 0.57