- Djibouti, a small country on the horn of Africa, has established its owned state owned, geothermal energy engineering company.
- The Red Sea Drilling Company (RSDC) will develop the country’s geothermal power potential plus provide training and capacity building to produce a number of engineers and technicians in the coming years.
According to a company presentation, the RSDC additionally plans to build capacity in water drilling – in a bid to reinforce the country’s water security -, and, further down the line, acquire mining and oil and gas drilling capabilities. In the mid-term, the RSDC plans to become an East African drilling major tapping into Ethiopian, Somalian and Kenyan markets.
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For now, however, foreign know-how is still essential for the country’s short-term goals, which is certainly behind the USD$6.5 million contract awarded in February 2021 by ODDEG to Kenya’s KenGen to drill three wells in Lake Assal.
Related news: Kengen Awarded Geothermal Contract in Djibouti
Estimates indicate that Djibouti holds as much as 1000-MW of generating potential from its geothermal sources which is enough to fulfil domestic demand with added surplus, to provide electricity to the 50% of Djiboutians that still lack access to the national network, and to supply its growing power-hungry industrial sector.
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Author: Bryan Groenendaal
