| Abstract |
Ethiopia is well endowed with geothermal resources, and recent studies show that only a fraction of the ultimate potential has been under utilization. Prospective areas which are potentially indigenous in geothermal resources go along with the Ethiopian Rift Valley System which extends for more than 1000 kms in a northeast to southwest direction along the entire length of Ethiopia. Realizing its potential of producing geothermal energy, the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCO) constructed the Aluto Langano Geothermal Power Plant in 1998 as a pilot project in a place located within the Rift Valley Lakes Region. The ALuto Langano Geothermal Pilot Plant with a Gross capacity of 8.5MW comprises two Ormat generating units. Various studies have indicated that up to 100MW electricity can be produced from the Aluto Geothermal Steam Field, an area which is known for its high temperature in the Country. This geothermal resource covers an area of about nine square kilometers. Expansion work at the Aluto Langano Geothermal Power Plant to boost its capacity to 70MW in two phases was launched on December 27/ 2013 at a cost of over 30 million USD. The project has been financed by the government of Japan, World Bank and the government of Ethiopia. The expansion project targets to drill a total of 24 wells including five re-injection wells whose depths could reach up to 2,500m in a two and half years time. |