Eritrea and solar power
Eritrea, located on the Horn of Africa along the Red Sea, is a nation rich in potential but constrained by limited energy resources. Since gaining independence from Ethiopia in 1993, Eritrea has primarily relied on wood and imported oil for its energy needs, with little domestic oil or natural gas production. The country lacks viable hydropower resources, prompting a shift towards renewable energy solutions, particularly solar and wind power, aided by foreign assistance.
In recent years, Eritrea has begun to develop its renewable energy infrastructure, including projects like the Assab Wind Farm, which has expanded electricity access for thousands of citizens. Small-scale photovoltaic systems are also being implemented in rural areas, providing essential services such as lighting and water-pumping to communities. Despite these developments, as of 2021, only about 2.9% of the country's energy needs were met through renewable sources, with solar power playing a significant role. The focus on renewable energy is crucial for Eritrea's long-term sustainability, particularly as reliance on wood threatens its limited forest resources.
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Eritrea and solar power
Official Name: State of Eritrea.
Summary: A sovereign nation since winning independence from Ethiopia in 1993, Eritrea relies primarily on wood and imported oil for energy. With no viable hydropower resources, Eritrea, with the assistance of foreign aid, is developing wind and photovoltaic solar power.
Eritrea is an arid country with a long coastline on the Red Sea. There is no domestic production of oil or natural gas. Eritreans rely on wood for home heating and cooking, which threatens the country’s limited forest resources. Eritrea has no proven oil or natural gas reserves, but there are potential reserves in the adjacent Red Sea. So far, no facilities have been built to extract these resources, however. Eritrea’s other natural resources include gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, and fish.
Oil Consumption and Production
In 2021, Eritrea produced an estimated 374 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity, placing it at 146th in the world. The bulk of this electrical energy was produced by oil consumption. During the same year, Eritreans consumed an estimated .093 megawatt-hours (MWh) per capita, placing it at 139th in the world. The Eritrean Electricity Authority (EEA) controls electricity generation, transmission, and distribution.
In 2016, Eritrea consumed an estimated 3000 barrels of oil per day, making it 189th in the world. In 2022, Eritrea imported roughly $12.9 million in refined petroleum products. The countries that provided the largest share of those imports were the United Arab Emirates ($11.5 million), Turkey ($596k), and Egypt ($508k).
There have been several attempts to exploit oil resources in the Red Sea, all unsuccessful, beginning in the 1960s, when Eritrea was still part of Ethiopia. In 1995, the U.S.-based oil company Anadarko Petroleum signed an exploration contract, eventually drilling two offshore wells, neither of which produced oil. The company gave up its rights in 1999. In May 2001, the U.S. firm CMS Energy signed an exploration agreement for a 8,699-square-mile block in northeastern Eritrea, but the company did not find oil.
CMS Energy sold its exploration interests to Perenco of France in late 2002. To date, there have been no positive oil strikes. Eritrea’s crude refining capacity was 18,000 barrels per day, provided by a refinery at the port of Assab on the Red Sea. It is expensive to operate and maintain, so it has been shut down since 1997. Eritrea and Ethiopia, joint operators of the facility, decided to import refined petroleum products to meet domestic needs.
In April 2003, Sudan accused Eritrea of supporting rebels in eastern Sudan, delaying and possibly sinking a proposed pipeline between the countries put forth in August 2000. The project would have brought refined petroleum products from the Khartoum refinery to Eritrea and Ethiopia.
Renewables
In 2004, the World Bank agreed to fund the Eritrea Power Distribution and Rural Electrification Project, which cost $57.2 million. It sought to rehabilitate and expand the distribution system in the capital city of Asmara, provide rural electrification, and reform the power sector to increase efficiency and attract private investment.
The United Nations Development Programme also began funding renewable energy projects in 2004. It financed the Assab Wind Farm, completed in 2007. A small wind park with a capacity of 750 kilowatts was installed and connected to an existing system in Assab. It consisted of eight decentralized wind stand-alone and wind-hybrid systems in rural villages. As a result, 30,000 of Assab’s citizens increased their electricity access from eight to 12 hours per day, and around 800 households in neighboring villages received access to water-pumping, lighting, and other services.
In 2010, in Beilul, a village 34 miles (55 kilometers) north of Assab, small-scale wind energy equipment with a 30-kilowatt capacity was installed. Capable of producing energy 24 hours per day, depending on wind conditions, the equipment delivers energy for household uses for about six hours per day. Many small-scale businesses have sprung up in response to the added capacity.
Specialized photovoltaic facilities, mostly small, are in use throughout the country. Two-kilowatt solar photovoltaic systems provide power for refrigeration, lighting, and operating theaters, fans, and laboratory equipment in 26 rural health centers. Small (0.8- to 1.2-kilowatt) photovoltaic systems power water pumps in 60 villages (about 3 percent of Eritrea’s villages), with each system serving a minimum of 300 households. These systems provide lighting and power for 70 out of 700 rural schools.
In 2021, roughly 2.9 percent of Eritrea's energy needs were met from renewable energy. The vast majority of this electricity was generated by solar farms.
Bibliography
Clough, Langdon D. “Energy Profile of Eritrea.” In The Encyclopedia of Earth, edited by Cutler J. Cleveland. Washington, DC: National Council for Science and the Environment. http://www.eoearth.org/article/Energy‗profile‗of‗Eritrea.
"Refined Petroleum in Eritrea." OEC, 2022, oec.world/en/profile/bilateral-product/refined-petroleum/reporter/eri. Accessed 1 Aug. 2024.
"Sources of Electricity Generation: Eritrea." IEA 50, 2021, www.iea.org/countries/eritrea/electricity. Accessed 1 Aug. 2024. U.S. Energy Information Administration. “Country Analysis Brief: Eritrea.” www.eia.gov/countries/country-data.cfm?fips=ER. Accessed 1 Aug. 2024.