BY MOHAMMED AHMED
Ethiopian Ministry of Finance signed an agreement with UAE’s power firm to develop a 300 MW from wind power in Ethiopia, says Birr Metrics.
This came months after UAE’s high-level delegation of experts and business persons led by President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyany came to Ethiopia and UAE’s business persons laid eyes on investment opportunities and signed several memoranda of understanding.
The USD600 million deal, which UAE-based renewable energy developer is about to embark on, is said to be one of the Horn of Africa's largest onshore wind farms.
Finance Minister Ahmed Shide said the "strong government-to-government support" that AMEA Power will receive to ensure successful implementation of the Aysha Wind Power Project.
He described the UAE-based company as a "prominent private sector player" well-equipped to deliver a project of this scale and significance.
Located in the country's Afar regional state, the wind farm will span an area of 18,000 hectares and involve the installation of over 100 wind turbines.
Officials say the Aysha project is expected to produce 1.22 terawatt-hours of electricity annually once fully operational.
He stated that the Aysha project "represents a major stride in Ethiopia’s journey towards increasing clean energy production, providing sustainable electricity to our people, and driving economic growth and job creation in the region."