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The 100 MW wind farm will help power over 400,000 Ethiopian households and will save more than 260,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year.

The wind farm will be made up of 29 SG 3.4-132 wind turbines and is expected to be commissioned by 2023. The project will generate about 300,000 MWh per year. Under the terms of the contract, Siemens Gamesa will supply the 29 SG3.4-132 wind turbines and provide full engineering, procurement, and turnkey construction.

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

Ethiopia has set a target to supply 100% of its domestic energy demand through renewable energy by 2030. According to the African Development Bank, Ethiopia has abundant resources, particularly wind with a potential 10 GW of installation capacity and having installed 324MW at present.  

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

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.

“Siemens Gamesa is intent on expanding its leadership across Africa, and in turn help a growing transition to green energy across the continent. So, we are extremely pleased to begin work in Ethiopia and look forward to collaborating with both EEP and the country to continue to promote their drive to install more renewables and meet transformational energy targets,” said Roberto Sabalza, CEO for Onshore Southern Europe and Africa at Siemens Gamesa. 

The Assela wind project will be financed by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs via Danida Business Finance (DBF). A loan agreement signed between the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance and Economic Cooperation (MoFEC) and Danske Bank will also provide funds.

In 2019, Kenya commissioned the largest wind farm in Africa, the 310MW Lake Turkana Wind Project, which comprises 365 wind turbines - each with a capacity of 850kW, and a high voltage substation. The Lake Turkana Wind Farm is connected to the Kenyan national grid through a 435km associated transmission line; providing reliable, low cost energy to Kenya’s national grid – approximately 17% of the country’s installed capacity.

Siemens Gamesa is a wind power specialist, with a strong presence in all facets of the renewable energy business: offshore, onshore, and services.

Siemens Gamesa’s other African projects include supplying turbines to the two South African wind farms - the 140MW Kangnas Wind Farm and the 110MW Perdekraal East Wind Farm. In February 2020, the company also secured the contract to construct the 60MW Ghoubet wind project in Djibouti. The company has more than 107 GW installed worldwide.

Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) is an Ethiopian state-owned electric power producer. EEP is engaged in development, investment, construction, operation, and management of power plants, power generation and power transmission. 

Top Photo: Wind Turbine Installations by Siemens Gamesa (Source: Siemens Gamensa)

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