Ethiopia Owns Huge Potential to Become Energy Hub: RES4Africa Program Manager

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Addis Ababa April 5/2023 (ENA) Ethiopia has all the potential of hydro, wind, solar, and geothermal to become an energy hub in the eastern Africa region, Renewable Energy Solutions for Africa (RES4Africa) Foundation Policy and Regulations Program Manager Andrea Renzulli said.

In an exclusive interview with ENA, Renzulli said that RES4Africa is a Foundation that works in support of Africa’s energy transition in order to achieve the SDG7, ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all and the private sector investment.

Millions of people in Ethiopia still lack access to electricity, he stated, and added “unfortunately, the level of investments is not yet appropriate for the needs of the country.”

There is a need to expand not only the generation but also the infrastructure to provide universal electricity access to all but of course, Renzulli pointed out, and emphasized “with all the potential that Ethiopia has in terms of natural resources, the country has the ability to reach these targets and reach the time frame that the government has set.”

“We can all agree about the huge potential. We all think about the hydro potential which is very important for the country but it is not only hydro, Ethiopia has already build few projects in the wind showing that there is also wind potential here. Solar Of course, geothermal, biomass, I mean, it is really a blessed country in terms of renewable energy potential,” the Policy and Regulations Program Manager elaborated.

Renzulli stressed “Ethiopia has the potential to become an energy hub within the region.”

The Government of Ethiopia has expressed clear intention to green growth and founding the strategy of the country on the principle of green growth and sustainability energies, he stated, and added “we have to support the institutions in achieving these targets.”

Speaking of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) he said that the hydro potential presents a lot of opportunities for Ethiopia in terms of energy export.

“So I think we all hope that the dam (GERD) can become vehicle of collaboration within the region. What we hope as citizen and I think Ethiopians who works here is that the dam can become a vehicle of better integration and better collaboration instead of a vehicle of confrontation,” he anticipated.

He expressed hope that the dam could become a symbol of the socio-economic development of the country and the region more generally stating that countries in the region could also benefit from the potential of the dam. 

Renzulli has also commended Ethiopians for their unwavering support for GERD  in terms of funding, public diplomacy, and technical aspects and also for sustaining important projects for socio-economic development of the country.

“Ethiopia has the capacity and capabilities to become a great energy exporter within the region, which could benefit also the neighboring countries,” the manager underscored

He has pointed out that Africa's hydropower resources in general hold considerable potential noting that these projects require a large initial investment.

“I believe that today, Africa must continue to invest in hydroelectricity, but also diversify its supply and production networks,” he added.

Ethiopian News Agency
2023