Ethiopia is keen to further develop its geothermal potential by drawing lessons from neighbouring Kenya which has reached a more advanced stage in utilizing such potential, says Geological Survey of Ethiopia (GSE) Chief Geologist Hundie Melka.
He told the Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) that Ethiopia was sending officials to visit geothermal sites in Kenya and sending personnel for training in the sector.
Kenya, which is producing 660 megawatts of electricity using geothermal sources, is currently the leading nation in Africa in the development of geothermal energy.
Hundie said Ethiopia would also benefit from the Africa Geothermal Centre of Excellence (AGCE) to be established in Kenya to build capacity in geothermal technology.
More than 20 sites in the Ethiopian Rift Valley have been identified by the GSE as having good quality geothermal resources with an estimated potential to generate more than 10,000MW of electricity, Hundie said.
Meanwhile, a visiting Kenyan official says Kenya possesses advanced technologies needed to develop geothermal energy and the country is willing to share its technological capability with Ethiopia.
Cornel Ofwona, the acting General Manager for Drilling and Infrastructure at Kenya's Geothermal Development Company (GDC) said his country had the potential to produce more than 10,000 MW of geothermal power from its section of the African Rift Valley basin. (Bernama.com)