Ethiopia Announced this week a discovery of 21.3 billion cubic meters of natural gas reserves in the Ogaden region in the south eastern part of the country.
The Ethiopian Herald on Saturday reported the survey report mentioning State Minister in the Ministry of Mines, Million Matheos, “a survey supported with the drilling of 19 wells in the Ogaden region has confirmed the presence of 21 billion, 336 million cubic meters of natural gas.”
And there seems to be a plan for extraction by next year. “We are working to bring the newly discovered natural gas into production as early as next year,” the state minister said.
The Ministry of Mines holds that Ethiopia “is home to oil and natural gas deposits in six different locations, including Ogaden, Mekele, Metema, South Omo, and Gambella.”
There had been extensive media coverage soon after Abiy Ahmed became Prime Minister in 2018 about the start of “crude oil production” in Ethiopia. It became like a mere dream not before long.
In 2016, there was a report about a USD4 billion natural gas production deal between Ethiopia, Djibouti and China. And in 2019, there was news that Ethiopia would start exporting natural gas via Djibouti in three years. Now in 2024, the subject is making a headline again.