Siemens Gamesa completes turbine installation on Djibouti’s Goubet wind farm

DJIBOUTI – Wind turbine manufacturer, Siemens Gamesa, has announced the completion of the installation of 17 SG132 wind turbines with a capacity of 3,4 MW each on the 59 MW Goubet wind farm.

The facility will be the first renewable energy installation in Djibouti and will almost double the country’s current installed power generation capacity once operational.

Only half of Djibouti’s population has access to power.

The country’s ambition is to become the first African country to operate entirely on renewable energies.

Currently, 65% of the country’s energy supply is imported from Ethiopia and household consumption is increasing by around 10% per year and according to World Bank data, nearly 40% of Djibouti’s population does not have access to electricity.

The Goubet wind farm is located on 395 hectares in the Arta region close to Lake Assal. Heavy lifting services company, Mammoet, was contracted by Siemens Gamesa to offload and assemble wind turbines on the Goubet project. 

“It is fantastic to have been given the opportunity to work on Djibouti’s first wind farm project. Recognizing our track record globally, the client was confident that the Mammoet team can deliver despite many challenges, such as border closures due to the pandemic and specifically when it comes to remote locations such as these,” Chase Minnaar, general manager Mammoet Djibouti said.

The Djibouti wind energy project is Siemens Gamesa’s first with the participation of an African investor.

A consortium consisting of Africa Finance Corporation, the Dutch development bank FMO, Climate Investor One (Dutch investment funds in green energy in Africa, Asia and Latin America), and local company Great Horn Investment Holdings SAS are leading the project’s development.

The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), a member of the World Bank Group, provided a guarantee on the project to cover against political risk or contractual defaults.

The renewable energy facility will supply power to Djibouti’s electricity utility, Electricité de Djibouti, under a 25-year power purchase agreement.

Siemens Gamesa will also provide maintenance to the wind farm throughout the lifespan of the project. The wind farm is scheduled to be operational before the end of 2021.