Page 10 - AfrElec Week 31 2021

AfrElec RENEWABLES AfrElec

Siemens Gamesa installs first

turbine at Djibouti wind farm

DJIBOUTI SIEMENS Gamesa has installed the first turbine Siemens Gamesa said that the wind farm
at the 59-MW Goubet wind farm in Djibouti would almost double the country’s current
The Goubet facility is located in the Arta installed power generation capacity.
region close to Lake Assal and will feature 17 of The project will help reduce the cost of
Siemens 3.4-132 machines. electricity, increase energy independence and
Siemens Gamesa won a contract in Janu- decrease the country’s CO2 emissions.
ary 2020 to supply and built the country’s first Djibouti has the ambitious goal of reducing
wind farm, as well as providing a maintenance its CO2 emissions by 40% by 2030 through sup-
contract. plying of 100% of domestic energy demand out
Siemens Gamesa will also provide mainte- of renewables.
nance to the wind farm, which is scheduled to be The project is covered by MIGA, the World
operational in mid-2021, for a minimum of 10 Bank’s Multilateral Investment Guarantee
years, with the option to renew. The electricity Agency.
generated will be sold by the consortium to Elec- Djibouti is also building the Ethiopia-Dji-
tricité de Djibouti, the national power generation bouti Second Power Interconnection project,
company, for a period of 25 years. involving 300 km of interconnector line, 170 km
A consortium of the Africa Finance Cor- of transmission lines, and new construction or
poration, the Dutch development bank FMO, renovation of substations in the two countries.
Climate Investor One and local company Great The African Development Bank (AfDB) has
Horn Investment Holdings is developing the approved two grants worth $83.6mn for the
wind farm. project.
It is Siemens Gamesa’s first project in Africa to The funds comprise a $69.65mn grant to
be led by an African investor. Ethiopia and a second grant of $13.93mn to Dji-
In February, Siemens Gamesa delivered all bouti, both sourced from the African Develop-
the components for the 17 turbines, despite ment Fund, the AfDB’s concessional financing
what it called the challenging conditions caused window.™
by coronavirus (COVID-19).

NEWS IN BRIEF

HYDRO that will be affected by the project and its (EDM) and Hidroelectrica de Cahora
effect on the Zambesi’s downstream irrigation Bassa, which already operates a 2,075 MW
Mphanda Nkuwa systems stalled the implementation. hydroelectric plant on the Zambezi River.
Mphanda Nkuwa Hydroelectric project
Hydroelectric project in was relaunched in August 2018, by President
Filipe Nyusi, who announced that the public
Mozambique to generate electricity company EDM, and HCB, the COAL
company that operates Cahora Bassa Dam,
power in 2030 will be responsible for restarting the initiative. Eskom’s Medupi TPP
The power station will have a capacity of
The Mphanda Nkuwa Hydroelectric project 1,500 megawatts, and the reservoir area of opened
in Mozambique will start generating power ??the dam will exceed 100 km2. Additionally,
in 2030. This is according to the official there will be construction of a transmission Eskom has announced that on 31 July 2021,
government spokesperson, Deputy Justice line which will bring the overall cost of the Unit 1, the last of six generation units of the
Minister Filimao Suaze. project to US $4.4bn. This is equivalent to Medupi Power Station Project in Lephalale,
“I am confident that this dam will be built Mozambique’s 2020 investment budget of US attained commercial operation status and was
by 2025 and in 2030 will see the effective $5bn. thus handed over to the Generation division.
take-off of this project,” said Minister Filimao Electricity produced from Mphanda This milestone marks the completion of
Suaze. Nkuwa is set to boost Mozambique’s national all building activities on the four 764 MW
The hyrdoelctric plant project will be power grid. Part of the production will be sold project, which commenced in May 2007. The
located 61 km southeast of the Cahora to neighbouring countries, notably Lesoth and planned operational life of the station is 50
Bassa dam. The project aims to increase the South Africa. The government also plans to years.
amount of electricity transmitted through sell most of its shares to potential investor. “Unit 1 commercial operation is a historic
the Teemaputo line. Plans to develop the Successful investor(s) will implement the milestone as it signifies the completion of
project had been approved in 2007, however project in partnership with the state-owned construction for Medupi Power Station,”
controversial issues on relocation of families companies, Electricidade de Moçambique said Bheki Nxumalo, Group Executive for

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