12MW Eritrea mini-grid project gets funding

Eritrea has signed an agreement with the African Development Bank (AfDB) for US$19.5mn worth of grant funding for an innovative 12MW desert power project

The so-called Desert to Power Eritrea 12MW Mini Grid Project will support the rollout of mini-grids that across the regions of Teseney (6MW), Kerekebet (3MW), and Barentu (3MW).

The scheme is expected to provide improved energy access to more than 235,000 Eritreans, supporting residential households, small-scale farms, agro-processing zones and water supply systems.

It will also benefit over 160 schools and 90 health centres in the country’s Gash Barka region, the AfDB said in a statement.

Eritrea’s minister of finance and national development, Dr Ghiorghish Teklemichae, signed the agreement on behalf of the government, alongside the AfDB’s deputy director general for East Africa, Dr Léandre Bassole.

“We are proud to say that Africa is working with Africa to bring change to Africa,” Teklemichae said during the signing ceremony. “This is for the good of our people and we are ready to work with you.”

The project will be implemented by the national Ministry of Energy, the Eritrea Electricity Corporation (EEC) and local companies under the supervision and guidance of a design and engineering technical consulting firm to be contracted.

To build local capacity and ensure project sustainability, 25 local companies will be trained and equipped with tools and machinery.

“Our main objective is that we will accompany countries to drive their own development,” said Bassole.

“Capacity building and knowledge transfer are critical to the success of the project’s implementation. This will be a continuous process.”

The project is aligned with the bank’s country strategy for Eritrea, which prioritises developing quality and sustainable infrastructure to support agricultural value-chains for economic diversification and structural transformation.

It also advances the objectives of the 2018 Eritrea National Energy Policy, which aims to increase electrification rates and ensure renewable energy contributes 20% of electric power by 2030.

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African Development Fund approves US$5.5mn grant to fund phase two of flagship desert-to-power energy project