Sudan is the latest sun-belt country to consider its solar energy options. But for the impoverished African nation, cost and political instability could be sticking points. , plans are on the table for solar power to electrify Sudan's vast underdeveloped regions and to pump groundwater to reverse desertification. Earlier this month, , a French renewable energy company, signed a preliminary agreement to build and operate solar power plants in Sudan over the next decade. Whether the deal goes ahead, however, will depend on the company's ability to attract private-sector financing for the US$10 billion (Dh36.7bn) project in a country known for its long-running internal conflicts. Omar Kheir, the secretary general of Sudan's , said the ministry had a master plan to add 20,000 megawatts of power generation capacity over the next 20 years to keep up with the pace of domestic development. He said Sudan was aiming for a mixed electricity supply to include hydropower, solar power, biofuel and gas-fired plants and even nuclear energy. Saudi Arabia, which is richer and more stable than Sudan, is also looking to the sun as one means of diversifying its power supply. The kingdom has said its was investing $80bn to boost generating capacity to 60,000mw by 2020 from 46,000mw currently. By 2020, it also hoped to start exporting solar power. Power demand across Saudi Arabia grew on average by more than 8 per cent last year, and by 13 per cent in some regions, Saleh Awaji, the deputy minister for electricity . "The growth of the sector invites us to seriously think about diversifying ways to generate power," he said. "We need to add 3,000mw every year to meet demand. It is huge." Saudi Arabia burns oil to generate more than half of its electricity supply, with natural gas fueling most of the rest. As well as solar power, the kingdom was continuing to study nuclear energy, Mr Awaji said. To help pay for new power plants, Riyadh was considering more than electricity tariffs in industrial zones during the summer peak power demand period. There's a chance that could also encourage energy conservation in a country famous for generous fuel subsidies.