Djibouti launches solar energy project to boost power

Djibouti’s government has launched a solar power plant this week, in an attempt to reduce the skyrocketing electricity costs largely generated from imported diesel fuel, which is subject to price fluctuations in the global market.

The project which aims to generate all the country’s power renewables in the next five years was launched in Adeylu, a town in the north of Djibouti with president Ismail Guelleh called the development a ‘milestone’.

The energy minister Ali Yaqub who launched the plant said the latprojectr would also help the tiny horn of Africa nation’s poor to get access to electricity which has been a far out of reach for many years.

The government has earlier announced that the plan which aims to install solar panels across in 25 villages would alleviate a significant burden for both residents and businesses in the country which heavily relies on hydropower plants in Ethiopia that supply nearly 65 percent of its electricity needs.

In Djibouti, a shortage of power supply seen is seen as a major obstacle to growth across the country.

The World Bank approved additional financing, in the form of a grant to the Republic of Djibouti to be credited to Electricitè de Djibouti (EDD) for the Power Access and Diversification Project in 2010 to help repair Djibouti’s power system.

It is proposed that the additional financing provided to the Government of Djibouti would deepen the impact of the project and scale up its activities.