Djibouti Eyes Replicating Kenya's Geothermal Model

To enable Djiboutian population’s access to a reliable, renewable and affordable source of energy, the government of Djibouti eyes a new project supported by the African Development Group (AfDB) and the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA).

The AfDB  alone has mobilized 5.31 million US dollars grant from the African Development Fund (ADF), 400,000 US dollars loan from the African Development Fund (ADF), and USD 1.8 million US dollars from SEFA. The government of Djibouti will also make a contribution.

Currently Djibouti relies mostly on fossil fuels and some hydropower imports from Ethiopia. The majority of the country’s current generation capacity is situated in Djibouti City. The existing power stations are old, polluting and expensive to operate. In addition, fuel imports are expensive and require important foreign-currency expenditure.

As a consequence, only half the population of the country has access to electricity due to high tariffs. Djibouti is however blessed with substantial geothermal potential, capable of meeting the country’s energy needs and possibly exports to neighboring countries, while reduce CO2 emissions from thermal electricity generation.

The geothermal exploration project in the Lake Assal region is structured as Public Private Partnership, where the government of Djibouti is taking the lead on the first exploration and appraisal drilling phase. The private sector will be responsible for the production drilling, steam gathering system and electricity production and evacuation to the national grid.

In collaboration with the World Bank, the African Development Bank Group has structured the financing of this project.  The first phase will cost approximately 32 million US dollars. The AfDB Board approved 7.5 million US dollars financing from the African Development Fund and SEFA, a Danish funded initiative implemented by the AfDB.

The AfDB and the World Bank have jointly mobilized different donors to co-finance the project: the Global Environment Facility (GEF), OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the Global Geothermal Development Plan (GGDP) through Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP).

The current project seeks to replicate the innovative model adopted in Kenya where the AfDB approved in 2011, the Menengai Geothermal Development Project.   For this project concessional funds were provided by development financing institutions, such as the AfDB and the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) hosted by the AfDB, to finance the drilling exploratory phase of the project.

Drawing from the Menengai experience and tapping into the East African Rift valley geothermal potential, the AfDB has also been working on a series of small-scale geothermal units, adapted to the specific context of each country.

In Ethiopia, the AfDB is playing a leading role in defining a geothermal roadmap. In Tanzania, it is leading the Scaling Up Renewable Energy Program which includes the financing of a geothermal development project.  In the Comoros, the AfDB is also working to develop a 20 MW geothermal plant matching the needs of the archipelago.