Oromia's Steam Power Poised to Propel Progress

Sep 18 , 2023

Over half of the drilled steam power generating wells are deemed complete by the Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) at Aluto Langano Geothermal Power Station in Arsi Zone, Oromia Regional State. The project carried out with a 143.5 million dollar financial package from the World Bank where 24.5 million dollars was a grant. An agreement with World Bank has been reached for the drilling and testing of four other sites until next year. The wells are drilled to depths between 2,500m to 3,000m each and are expected to generate a total of 70MW energy when the two phases are complete. After completing the testing procedures, officials revealed the completion of six wells that can generate up to 25MW energy. Mesay Fekadu, director of the Department of Geothermal Sector Development Project at EEP, said the remaining four will be functional in the coming four months. Ethiopia has renewable energy resources with the potential to generate over 60,000 MW of electric power from hydroelectric, wind, solar and geothermal sources. With only around half of Ethiopia's population having access to electricity, development institutions and private energy companies have insisted on the development of renewable energy sources to meet the nation's demand.