Power, Water & Network.
Cape Verde has barely any usable natural freshwater reserves and imports the fossil fuel for its power generation almost entirely - yet already generates around a quarter of its electricity itself from wind and sun, with a growing share. Here's what that actually means for your everyday life or stay.
Basic infrastructure at a glance.
- Renewable energy
- ~24-29% (2023), target 50% by 2030
- Power outages
- Occasional, especially Praia/Santiago (worsened in 2025)
- Drinking water
- Mostly seawater desalination, bottled water recommended
- Safely managed water
- ~62% per WHO/UNICEF JMP
- Internet backbone
- 5 submarine cables (incl. EllaLink, WACS)
- Waste management
- National plan PENGeR 2015-2030, EU-funded
Between solar expansion and power outages.
Cape Verde imports almost all of its fossil energy and is therefore betting strategically heavily on renewables: in 2023, the share was around 24-29% (depending on source and methodology), with a stated national interim target of 50% by 2030. On the 100% target year, Cape Verde's own official documents disagree with each other: the NDC and the Electricity Sector Master Plan (2018-2040) name 2040, while the Strategic Sustainable Development Plan 2022-2026 instead names 2050 - you can find a detailed breakdown of this discrepancy on our Green Energy topic page. Whether the 50% interim target has already been reached as of today (September 2026) could not be verified in real time - treat the 2023 figure as a starting point, not a current status.
In September/October 2025, Praia and large parts of Santiago experienced a documented power-outage crisis with around 60 consecutive days of daily, sometimes multi-hour outages - residents protested publicly, utility EPEC rented additional generators, and granted a 20% discount for October/November 2025 as compensation. A crisis of this scale hasn't recurred since, but the situation remains fragile: in May 2026, urgent interventions were again needed at the Palmarejo and Monte Vaca substations, and Santiago still has the highest grid losses of any island at around 31.4% (national average: 22.3%) - individual announced maintenance shutdowns (most recently 9.10.2026 in northern Santiago) continue to occur. Travelers and expats on Santiago should keep a power bank on hand as a precaution and build in a time buffer for important appointments (online meetings, charging devices).
Where the water really comes from.
Cape Verde has practically no natural freshwater reserves - most of the drinking water comes from seawater desalination plants.
Seawater desalination
The vast majority of drinking water comes from desalination plants, concentrated on the larger islands (Santiago, Sal, São Vicente, Boa Vista) - the exact national share fluctuates considerably depending on the source and survey year, which is why we deliberately avoid citing a single percentage here. The rest comes from limited groundwater and spring sources, mainly in the more humid valleys of Santo Antão - but these resources are nowhere near enough for nationwide supply, which is why desalination capacity has kept expanding for years. Tap water is officially treated, but due to pipe age and sometimes irregular water pressure, it's generally not recommended as drinking water.
Access per WHO/UNICEF
According to WHO/UNICEF JMP data, around 87% of the population has access to at least basic drinking water, but only about 62% to a "safely managed" supply under the stricter JMP criteria - a gap that mainly affects rural areas and smaller islands.
Practical tip
Buy bottled water for drinking - cheap and available everywhere in supermarkets and kiosks. For brushing teeth, tap water is fine in most accommodations on the larger islands; if you have a sensitive stomach, use bottled water for that too.
Water scarcity as a long-term issue
Climate change and irregular rainy seasons are intensifying structural water scarcity - one reason investments in desalination and more efficient distribution networks remain a political priority.
Five cables under the Atlantic.
Cape Verde is connected to the global internet via several international submarine cables, including EllaLink (an Europe-Latin America link with a Cape Verdean landing point), WACS (West Africa Cable System), Atlantis-2 and SAT-3/WASC, plus the regional SHARE cable. This redundant connectivity reduces the risk of a complete internet outage, as has happened in some West African countries after cable damage. A national backbone upgrade project (known as CSII-4) is meant to further improve bandwidth between the islands. Important context: these cables secure the country's international connectivity overall - they say nothing about how stable the connection is at any specific household, hotel, or coworking space. For that, what matters is the "last mile" (local fixed-line/mobile network buildout) and network quality by island - see our SIM & Internet guide.
Waste management under reform
Since 2015, Cape Verde has been pursuing the national waste management plan PENGeR (Plano Estratégico Nacional de Gestão de Resíduos) with a target horizon of 2030, supported by EU funding. One concrete project is a new waste treatment facility on Maio. For travelers, this means: waste separation isn't yet established everywhere - be especially sparing with plastic and, where possible, carry your trash back out of nature reserves.
Sources & status of this page
- "Power raw materials" wording refined (21.10.2026): the hero text previously said generically "imports power raw materials entirely," directly next to the figure "~24-29% renewable energy" - unclear wording, since what's imported is the fossil fuel for power generation, not the power itself, and the renewable share is specifically NOT imported. Refined accordingly.
- Renewable energy share (~24-29%, 2023): IRENA's statistical profile and the Africa Energy Portal agree within this range; the 2025 progress figure (~33%) could not be cross-checked against an official primary source and is therefore communicated as an estimate, not a confirmed value.
- 50% target by 2030 / 100% target year (2040 vs. 2050): the discrepancy between the Electricity Sector Master Plan (2018-2040) and the Strategic Sustainable Development Plan 2022-2026 is built into Cape Verde's own official documents - deliberately not resolved in favor of one figure.
- Praia/Santiago power-outage crisis (updated 15.10.2026): the crisis period (~60 days of daily outages), protests, and EPEC's measures (generator rentals, 20% discount) confirmed via expressodasilhas.cv (03.10.2025, directly cross-checked via WebFetch). Follow-up interventions in May 2026 (Palmarejo/Monte Vaca substations) and the planned maintenance shutdown of 09.10.2026 (northern Santiago) confirmed via expressodasilhas.cv and anacao.cv. Grid-loss figures (31.4% Santiago vs. 22.3% national) from industry reporting on EDEC/EPEC's 2025 targets. Earlier EPEC statements claiming the situation was "100% resolved" (July 2025, then again in September 2025) both turned out to be premature - which is why this page deliberately doesn't frame it as "resolved," but as "no crisis of this scale since, but still fragile."
- Drinking water access (87% basic / 62% "safely managed"): WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP), 2022 survey data - the most current official figures available, no more recent data found.
- Groundwater/springs as a supplement to desalination (refined 15.10.2026): US Geological Survey (USGS) hydrology studies on Santo Antão (incl. Ribeira Paul, Ribeira Fajã) confirm usable but limited groundwater and spring sources on the more humid islands - the previous wording "no freshwater sources of its own" was too absolute and was refined accordingly. Exact national percentages for desalination vs. groundwater vary considerably by source and survey year and are deliberately not given a figure here.
- "85-90%" desalination share removed (18.10.2026): the hero stat and main text previously cited "85-90%+" as the desalination share of drinking water - a genuine contradiction with the source line directly above it, which explicitly rejects that very figure. A government source documents ">80% of the population supplied with access to desalinated water" - but that's a different metric (share of population with access) than "share of the drinking water volume produced," so it was not adopted as a replacement figure. The hero stat and main text were instead worded without a specific number, consistent with the page's own sourcing.
- Submarine cable connectivity (EllaLink, WACS, Atlantis-2, SAT-3/WASC, SHARE): confirmed via telecommunications industry trade sources (including Submarine Networks, dig.watch); the CSII-4 backbone project comes from the same trade sources.
- National waste plan PENGeR (since 2015, target horizon 2030): confirmed via the Portuguese embassy in Praia as well as Cape Verde's water and waste authority ANAS.
Questions about infrastructure.
Can I drink the tap water?
It's generally not recommended - buy bottled water, even though the tap water is officially treated.
Are power outages common?
Occasionally, especially in Praia/Santiago - September/October 2025 saw a documented, worsened outage period. A power bank is a sensible precaution.
Where does Cape Verde's drinking water come from?
Predominantly from seawater desalination plants - natural freshwater reserves are very limited.
How is Cape Verde connected to the internet?
Via several international submarine cables (including EllaLink, WACS, Atlantis-2, SAT-3), which provides comparatively robust connectivity.
What's the share of renewable energy?
Around 24-29% (as of 2023, risen to roughly 33% by 2025 according to newer estimates), with a national interim target of 50% by 2030. The current 100% target year is 2040, confirmed by the most recent national climate commitment (NDC 3.0, November 2025) - an older plan named 2050, but that's likely outdated. Details here.
Infrastructure data (energy share, power-outage situation, water access) changes alongside ongoing national programs - this page reflects the research status as of October 2026 and doesn't replace current on-the-ground information.
Related topics.
On to the next topic.
Morabeza, clothing, and avoiding cultural faux pas.