Djibouti boosts domestic power by 50% with new 60 MW windfarm

Reuters | Djibouti launched a 60 megawatt MW windfarm on Friday, increasing the Horn of Africa country’s power production by almost 50 percent and reducing its heavy reliance on imported electricity.

The US$122 million Red Sea Power (RSP) wind farm near Lake Goubet, which was announced in 2020, will avert 252,500 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually, according to the consortium of investors that include the Africa Finance Corporation and the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank (FMO).

Local power generation for Djibouti’s 1.1 million people has until now been entirely generated by burning fossil fuels, with 60-80 percent of consumed power sourced from neighboring Ethiopia.

“The new plant will play a pivotal role in the battle against climate change,” said Samaila Zubairu, President of the Africa Finance Corporation.

“It not only amplifies the reach of renewable energy in Djibouti, but also substantially curbs harmful emissions generated from the region’s thermal plants,” Zubairu said.

The electricity generated is to be sold under a long-term power purchase agreement to Electricite de Djibouti (EDD), the national state-owned utility.