The 1st win turbine has been assembled at Djibouti’s 1st wind farm project. Siemens Gamesa, the project developers announced the achievement and said it is the 1st of 17 wind turbines to be installed in Goubet.
The 59 megawatt infrastructure will be built on a 395 hectare site on the shores of Lake Assal. Siemens Gamesa will also maintain the wind farm when it is fully operational. The contract for the construction of the park was signed a little over a year ago.
According to the company, this new wind farm will almost double the electricity production capacity currently installed in the country. The electricity produced in Djibouti comes entirely from fossil fuels. The new facility is anticipated to reduce the cost of electricity, achieve energy independence and reduce the country’s carbon dioxide emissions.
The country’s ambition is to become the 1st African country to operate entirely on renewable energies. Currently, 65 per cent of the country’s energy supply is imported from Ethiopia. Household consumption is increasing by around 10 per cent per year.
“As a 1st for Djibouti, energy demand could increase tenfold over the next 10 years through new power plants. Faced with this development, the country relies on renewable energy resources, of which wind power is one of the pillars. Access to affordable energy is the key to supporting sustainable development and long-term economic growth,” said Markus Tacke, CEO of Siemens Gamesa.
