The Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation announced the beginning of construction of 120 wind turbines in Ashegoda, a community in Enderta wereda in the Tigray region.
Girmay Gerbu of the Tigrigna service reports that the Ethiopian government has begun construction of a wind turbine farm in Ashegoda in Enderta wereda of Tigray region.When the three-year building project is completed, this will be the largest farm generating power from the wind in Africa, according to the Vergent group, the French company building the farm.Each turbine is a twin-bladed aerogenerator mounted on a tall tower.The first 30 units will be delivered in 2009.
EEPCo spokeman Miskir Negash told VOA’s Girmay Gebru that construction of a 120-megawatt project will be completed in three years at a cost of 3.2 billion birr.The completed project will generate 10,000 megawatts of electricity from the wind, which 15 percent of the nation’s present energy capacity. Negash said the Ashegoda project wind power will send to the national water bank. The officer said Ethiopia will sell power only when it finishes 100% national power supply.
The agreement between Vergnet and the Ethiopian government was signed by Alemayehu Tegenu, minister of Energy and Mines and by EEPCo’s chairman, Meheret Debebe, who said that the project “will help us to fill the gap of hydrological risks we are facing in Ethiopia with the droughts.”
