US $49.9M approved for Dekemhare Solar Power Plant project in Eritrea

A sum of US $49.9M has been approved by the African Development Bank Board for the construction of the Dekemhare Solar Power Plant project in Egypt.

Construction of the Dekemhare solar power plant in the Debub region is part of Asmara’s policy to diversify its electricity mix. The East African country is 90% dependent on fossil fuels, notably diesel, for its electricity generation, according to the 2015 report of the International Energy Agency (IEA). The Government of Eritrea is the beneficiary of the grant, and the Ministry of Energy and Mines is responsible for its implementation.

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Dekemhare solar power plant

The project involves the construction of a 30 MWp solar PV plant outside the town of Dekemhare, 40 km southeast of Asmara, the country’s capital. The plant will be connected to a battery power storage system to stabilize the grid of the state-owned Eritrean Electricity Corporation (EEC). The Eritrean government is also planning to build a 66 kV substation and a 500 m transmission line.

The project outcomes will boost socio-economic development that has suffered from massive and prolonged load shedding and consequently improve the quality of life of the people of Eritrea. The expected long-term benefits are improved access to electricity, diversification of energy resources, reduced electricity costs, increased economic opportunities, and job creation.

The project is also in alignment with the Bank’s Desert to Power project that will provide renewable energy via solar for 250 million people across eleven countries in the Sahel and East Africa. When completed it will become the largest solar zone in the world.