| Title | Geothermal Development in Djibouti Republic: A Country Report |
|---|---|
| Authors | Aboulkader Khaireh and Fouad Aye |
| Year | 2012 |
| Conference | ARGeo |
| Keywords | |
| Abstract | Djibouti is a small country located in East Africa in the area where the Gulf of Aden meets with the Red Sea. It is therefore a strategic place between Africa and Arabia with neighbors like Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and Yemen. For Ethiopia, Djibouti is presently the only access to the sea. The port of Djibouti and the lines of communication such as roads, railways, electricity line between the two countries are developing very fast.( The current population of the Djibouti Republic is estimated to be about 850 000, of which about 600 000 live in the main town of Djibouti-Ville, 95 000 in secondary towns and the remaining, 155 000, which includes a substantial nomadic population; in a rural setting.. The country’s electrification rate is about 50%. Electricité de Djibouti (EdD), the national state-owned utility under Ministry of Energy and Water in charge of Natural Resources (MEERN), reports about 38 000 electricity connections for the Djibouti-Ville metropolitan area. Demand in Djibouti-Ville area is currently supplied from two main power stations – Boulaos and Marabout. Boulaos has an installed capacity of 100.3 MW and comprises 15 medium speed diesel generating units operating on heavy fuel oil. The older Marabout power station has an installed capacity of 14.4 MW, with 6 medium speed diesel generating units operating on diesel oil and is used only in summer (demand peak). The Ethiopia-Djibouti interconnector became operational in May 2011 and provides an additional electricity source, based on renewable (hydro), ranging from 180 to 300GWh per year. It is therefore covering between half and two-thirds of the demand. The line terminates at a 220/63/20 kV substation, 12 km west of Djibouti-Ville, where the voltage is stepped down to 63 kV for interconnection with the existing transmission system. The transmission system is currently limited to a 63 kV inter-connector between the main stations, and two 20 kV transmission circuits from Djibouti-Ville to Arta, some 40 km away. There is also a 20 kV circuit between Dikhil and Ali Sabieh in the south of the country. The distribution system comprises 20 kV radial circuits emanating from the main substations. Most customers are supplied at low voltage (LV) via distribution substations. Forecasts of future demand have been developed. In the base case, the peak annual demand is expected to increase from 75 MW in 2010 to 138 MW in 2015 and 219 MW in 2035. This provides an idea of a minimum target for geothermal energy development. |