Djibouti to assess state of its renewable energy

Djibouti has become the first East African nation to launch evaluation of the state of its renewable energy under the auspices of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

Monday, May 18, 2015

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The evaluation comes after the validation of the program during a workshop organized by Djibouti’s ministry of energy in charge of natural resources.

The objective of the Renewables Readiness Assessment (RRA) is to promote the development of the renewable energy sector and enable Djibouti to overcome challenges of access to modern energy services, while guaranteeing sustainable socioeconomic growth.

The recommendations will be contained in a document covering sectors such as rural electrification, the commitment by the private sector as well as the necessary legislations.

Speaking during the workshop, the secretary general of Djibouti’s energy ministry in charge of natural resources Aboubaker Houssein Doualeh said the evaluation will enable the country to assess its renewable energy potential and to facilitate provision of renewable energy to each locality in order to boost the economy.

“We plan to maximize on our geothermal potential. This is why we have decided to join the new global alliance for geothermal which is IRENA. By partnering with the alliance, we hope to accelerate activities in the geothermal sector,” he said.

He said Djibouti plans to start producing over 1,000 MW from renewable energy sources.
“Today, Djibouti is an energy importer but in the near future, it will be exporting energy to neighboring countries such as Ethiopia, Somalia and Yemen,” the secretary general in the energy ministry said.

The director for IRENA’s Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) Gurburz Gonul said IRENA had technically supported nine African countries in their Renewables Readiness Assessment programs.
“Only the recommendations from the evaluation process can help us to judge the quality of our joint efforts,” he said.

Gonul said besides RRA, Djibouti is part of the African Clean Energy Corridor, an initiative aimed at creating a regional market for clean energy between the East African and Southern African countries.
IRENA is an intergovernmental organization created to promote adoption and sustainable use of renewable energy in the world. It was founded in 2009 and supports its 172 member states in areas such as capacity enhancement, provision of technical advice, carrying out specific studies and facilitating information sharing to promote the use of renewable energy.

Source: Xinhua,

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