- Chinese equipment and oil services company Kerui Petroleum has successfully lifted the derrick and substructure for the first 1500HP drilling rig at Ethiopia’s Aluto-Langano Geothermal Energy Project.
- The completion of the first rigging up marks a milestone in the 70-MW geothermal energy project.
In February 2019, Kerui Petroleum, in partnership with Kenya’s state-owned power producer Kenya Electricity Generating Company PLC, signed a contract with Ethiopia’s state utility firm Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP).
Under the contract, Kerui Petroleum will supply two sets of 1500HP drilling rigs, personnel training, drilling operation and related technology transfer for the drilling initially of the 22 wells at Aluto-Langano.
The site already has a geothermal power plant that began operation in 1998 with a production capacity of 7.3 MW. The facility, however, has been closed since 2018 due to technical issues.
Ethiopia, occupying the longest section of the 7,000-km great East African Rift Valley boasts an estimated geothermal potential of 10,000 MW, envisaged to tap into the potential of the geothermal energy to power the country’s development projects.
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Author: Bryan Groenendaal
Source: china.org.cn
