Ethiopia wind farm starts production

Africa's biggest wind farm has started production in Ethiopia, aiding efforts to diversify electricity generation from hydropower plants and help the country become a major regional exporter of energy.

The country on the Horn of Africa is plagued by frequent blackouts. It plans to boost generating capacity from 2 000 megawatts (MW) to 10 000 MW within the next three to five years, much of it coming from the 6 000 MW Grand Renaissance Dam under construction on the Nile. The plan also consists of raising wind power generation to more than 800 MW and geothermal capacity to more than 100 MW within that period.

This shows that the Ethiopian government is committed to increasing its energy capacity. It also indicates to the outside world that the country is plagued by less of the socio political issues that stall or slow down projects in other African countries. Political will on projects is normally enough to get the job done.