Ethiopia has announced it has made a discovery of natural gas reserves in Ogaden Region. State Minister of Mines Million Mathewos confirmed the report and said the discovery follows drilling program done at the region.
19 wells confirmed the presence of 21.336 billion cubic meters of natural gas. This supplements the existing oil and natural gas deposits identified in six other locations nationwide. Million Mathewos expressed optimism about a swift development process, aiming to commence production of the newly discovered natural gas by next year. The government is providing extensive support and monitoring to accelerate exploration and development efforts.
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Boosting national energy supply
Ethiopia is also prioritizing geothermal energy development. Collaborations with States and the private sector are underway to establish major geothermal projects. These initiatives are part of the broader strategy to enhance the national energy supply and create employment opportunities.
In August 2022, Ethiopia announced the discovery of 7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in the Ogaden region. The property analysis and consulting firm, Netherland, Swell & Associates, verified the existence of these reserves and issued the first gas reserves certificate to the Ethiopian
Ethiopia holds 0.88 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of proven gas reserves as of 2017, ranking 70th in the world and accounting for about 0.013% of the world’s total natural gas reserves of 6,923 Tcf. The country has proven reserves equivalent to inf times its annual consumption. This means it has about inf years of gas left (at current consumption levels and excluding unproven reserves).
