Ethiopia currently has all the potential of hydroelectric, wind, solar and geothermal energy to become an energy center in the East African region, said the director of the RES4Africa foundation, Andrea Renzulli, reports the Prensa Latina web portal.
The also manager of the Policies and Regulations Program of the Renewable Energy Solutions for Africa Foundation (RES4Africa), recalled that millions of people in the African nation still lack access to electricity and the level of investments does not respond to demand.
In addition, he stressed that there is a need to expand not only generation but infrastructure to reach everyone, and “with the potential that Ethiopia has in terms of natural resources, the country has the capacity to achieve these objectives and meet the time frame that the Government has established.
Referring to the government’s will to apply a strategy of green growth and sustainable energy, he ratified RES4Africa’s support to institutions to achieve these objectives.
Regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), he added that the hydropower potential presents many opportunities for Ethiopia in terms of energy export.
Referring to the GERD, Renzulli stressed that this hydraulic development project can become a vehicle for collaboration within the region.
“What we hope is that the dam can become a vehicle for better integration and better collaboration instead of a vehicle for confrontation,” he stressed.
In turn, he expressed his hope that the GERD could become a symbol of the socioeconomic development of the country and the region in general, and neighboring nations could also benefit from the potential of the dam.
Similarly, the director of the RES4Africa foundation praised the Ethiopians for supporting the project in terms of financing, public diplomacy and technical aspects, in addition to supporting other important initiatives for the growth of the country.
He pointed out that Africa’s hydropower resources in general have 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 concluded.
VTV/WIL/CP
