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Moving forward on the Fiale geothermal project at Lake Assal, Djibouti

Moving forward on the Fiale geothermal project at Lake Assal, Djibouti Lake Assal, Djibouti (source: Fishercd, commons Wikimedia)
Alexander Richter 24 Apr 2018

As part of an announcement of services provided, French firm Vallourec reports that drilling is about to start for the Fiale geothermal project at Lake Assal, Djibouti.

As part of an announcement of services to be delivered to a geothermal project in Djibouti, Africa, we learn more details on the Fiale geothermal project at Lake Assal.

In its release, French company Vallourec, a supplier of premium tubular solutions primarily serving the energy markets, reports on the project.

Lake Assal is a saline lake, 155m below sea level, situated in central-western Djibouti at the top of the Great Rift Valley. The geothermal potential of the area, known for its seismic and volcanic activity, has been studied for many years and now the drilling campaign to capture this energy is under way!

The project in the Fiale Caldera area of Lake Assal consists of drilling 4 exploration wells for a new geothermal power plant, set to come on-line in 2021. The power plant will have a total capacity of 50 MW. The Fiale project is managed by the Project Management Unit under the authority of Electricity of Djibouti, EDD. It is financed by the World Bank, the African Bank for Development, OPIC, French Agency for Development, GEF and ESMAP.

The produced fluid from the wells is expected to be concentrated sea water that has been heated to around 305°C, although the temperatures could be as high as 360°C at the bottom of the well. The wells will be drilled directionally, reaching vertical depth of 2,500 meters.

For the government of Djibouti, geothermal energy represents a low cost, renewable and clean energy source which will generalise access to electricity for the population and promote economic development. On its side, Vallourec is committed to supporting the development of geothermal energy to make this challenge a reality.

 

Source: Vallourec