Horn of Africa Wind Power Boost

Ethiopia and other Horn of Africa countries are dogged by regular power blackouts, but they may be changing in the future as the area is planning to up its generating capacity from 2000 MW to 10000 MW within the next three to five years.

While the lion’s share will be produced by the 6000MW Grand Renaissance Dam, now under construction on the River Nile, the plan also consists of raising wind power generation to more than 800 MW and geothermal capacity to less than 100 MW. The 210 million euro ($289.68 million) Ashegoda Wind Farm was built by the French firm Vergnet SA with concessional loans from BNP Paribas and the French Development Agency (AFD). The Ethiopian government covered just under 10 percent of the cost.

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The Horn of Africa is blessed with abundant and relatively consistent wind and the Ashegoda wind farm takes Ethiopia to the third-largest wind potential in Africa (after Egypt and Morocco).  The Wind Farm has been extended over the last few years and Vergnet’s site manager, Roman Coutrot, said:

“Ethiopia might have one of the most impressive investment plans in renewable energy in Africa. It’s not only talking, they are acting and signing contracts. The problem they might face is financing but they are not worried about that.”

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The Farm consists of 84 wind turbines- spaced out over a large area of grassland dotted by stone-brick villages. The location is 780 kilometers north of the capital, Addis Ababa. The wind farm is important because, during the dry seasons, the country’s dams have insufficient water to produce hydroelectric power. At present, Ethiopia’s energy resources are almost completely derived from hydropower projects and therefore the wind farm is vital to fill energy gaps and prevent blackouts. The good news is that during the dry seasons, the wind speed is invariably higher and the turbines will be busy producing power.

Last week, Ethiopia also signed a preliminary agreement with a U.S.-Icelandic firm for a $4 billion private sector investment intended to tap into its vast geothermal power resources and produce 1,000 MW from steam.

Ethiopia is getting to be not only green but also diverse in its harnessing of natural and renewable resources.