Ethiopia has launched its first geothermal well which was drilled and has successfully discharged steam. The project which was part of the Aluto Langano Geothermal Project supported by the Japanese government was started in 2010.

Ethiopia’s Water, Irrigation and Energy Minister Alemayehu Tegenu and Japanese Ambassador Kazuhiro Suzuki were present to launch the geothermal well.

According to the Japanese Embassy Press release, the project was launched in 2010 with financial assistance from the Government of Japan and the World Bank, and has been implemented jointly by the Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP), the Geological Survey of Ethiopia (GSE) and Japan International Cooperation System (JICS) and West Japan Engineering Consultants (West JEC).

This mega project which was referred to in the Joint Communique of the Japan-Ethiopia bilateral summit meeting, when Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Addis Ababa in January 2014. Since then, the Japanese Government has made every effort to see the project kick off.

Financial assistance for the project came from the Government of Japan and the World Bank.

This is good news to Ethiopia and its neighbours as the steam discharge from the well has laid a solid foundation in order to implement the project and will contribute to the consideration of further assistance from the Government of Japan in the area of geothermal power generation.
 

Posted on : 30 Nov,-0001