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Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) has announced that drilling will commence later this month at the Aluto Langano geothermal project.
- The project will expand the capacity of the existing 8.5MWe geothermal power plant to 70MWe.
- The World Bank is the project’s main financial sponsor.
The Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) has announced that drilling will commence later this month at the Aluto Langano geothermal project in Ethiopia’s Rift Valley. The well will be used to power a 70 MWe steam plant.
Asheber Balcha, Managing Director of Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP), announced that the drilling start date is April 18th, 2021, during a visit to the site alongside officials from the World Bank, the project’s main financial sponsor.
Read also: African Union Awards $14.5m Grant for Geothermal Energy in Kenya.
The project will expand the existing 8.5MWe geothermal power plant’s capacity. The existing plant, completed in 1998, was intended to test the geothermal potential of Aluto Langano. However, the plant has been out of commission for a huge chunk of its existence as infrastructural bottlenecks, improper maintenance, and lack of adequate human capital have resulted in a decline in energy production from the site.
EEP will utilise existing wells and drill eight new geothermal wells as part of the Aluto Langano geothermal project. The geothermal energy will be used to produce steam to power a 70 MWe plant.