Negotiators of the state owned utility monopoly, the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo), are in discussions with representatives of the Indian ENERCON in order to award the latter with a contract to build a wind power project. The two sides have begun their negotiations last week, the project office located on Africa Avenue, behind Bole Printing Press.

This first wind power project for the country, to be installed in Messebo and Ashegode, in the Tigray Regional State, will generate 70mw electric power when completed. The project represents one of the two alternative sources of power generations the Corporation pursues in the coming five years, in order to meet its ambitious programme of covering 50pc of the country's physical geography with electricity, from the 18pc that is believed to have access now.

EEPCo needs to have a power generation capacity of 4,000mw; and amount far from the 790mw it generates from nine dams and diesels. Diversifying these with sources such us geothermal (around Lake Langano) and wind power is thus given priority by the Corporation, according to its managers.

The wind project in Tigray was one of the three projects whose pre-feasibility studies was conducted by the German GTZ that were projected to generate a combined power of 120mw: the other two were meant to be in the towns of Adama (Nazareth), in Oromia Regional State, and Gondor, Amhara Regional State. However, a subsequent studies conducted by the German Lahmeier International in 2005 discovered that installing wind power projects in these towns would interfere in the telecommunications microwave and television frequencies.

"The turbine transmissions towers installed in these towns operate with wind power thus interfere with microwave signals and broadcasting frequencies," said a senior official of EEPCo.

Other sources, however, challenge this assertion claming that the reason why EEPCo did fold the installation in Gondor is also because it does not have enough funding to finance the project. The one to be installed in Tigray is projected to cost of about 85 million euro, while the three projects would cost over 180 million euro.

Lahmeier International has brought ENERCON without the regular bid process, because it is believed to have international reputation in wind power projects globally, according of senior managers at EEPCo. With its parent company based in Germany, ENERCON (India) Ltd was established in 1994, and has so far built 7,400 wind energy converts that have a total generating capacity of 6,600mw.

Three consultants of Lahmeier International, which was contracted for 300,000 euro to do the feasibility study, are expected to arrive next week to help EEPCo advance in the negotiations, according to sources. EEPCo is also expected to issue public tender, alongside the negotiations, in order to select a supervising firm of the project.

EEPCo officials anticipate that transporting the wind turbines (a.k.a wind converters) will become the most challenging part of the project. Such turbines have a range of length between 24 to 50 meters, while trucks that carry only 12 meters are available in the country, according to Ayele Getachew, head of the project office.