EEP, Siemens Gamesa seal agreement for Assela wind farm project

Addis Ababa, January 4, 2021 (FBC) –The state-owned utility, Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) has signed a wind power project agreement with Siemens Gamesa.

According to the agreement, the company will deliver 29 SG 3.4-132 wind turbines to EEP for the Assela wind farm project.

The 100MW wind farm will help power over 400,000 Ethiopian households. The wind farm is set to be commissioned by the start of 2023.

The wind farm will save more than 260,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year.

The 100 MW Assela wind farm will be located between the towns of Adama and Assela, approximately 150 km south of the capital, Addis Ababa, and will contribute to clean and affordable power for the country’s electricity grid.

The country has set an ambitious target to supply 100% of its domestic energy demand through renewable energy by 2030.

According to the African Development Bank (AfDB), Ethiopia has abundant resources, particularly wind with a potential 10 GW of installation capacity and having installed 324 MW at present.

According to a Wood Mackenzie forecast, around 2 GW of wind power would be installed in Ethiopia by 2029.

The project will generate about 300,000 MWh per year. Siemens Gamesa will provide full engineering, procurement, and turnkey construction.

The Assela wind project will be financed by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs via Danida Business Finance (DBF) adding to a loan agreement signed between the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance (MoF) and Danske Bank A/S.

Ethiopia has many renewable resources covering wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass, and the country aspires to be a power hub and the battery for the Horn of Africa.

The country’s National Electrification Program, launched in 2017, outlines a plan to reach universal access by 2025 with the help of off-grid solutions for 35% of the population.

Source: APO