The Minister of Energy in charge of Natural Resources, Mr. Yonis Ali Guedi, sponsored yesterday in Tokyo, the Japanese capital, a signing ceremony of an important memorandum of understanding between the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Djibouti department for development of geothermic energy (ODDEG) on the confirmation of the intermediate reservoir at the Fialé site,, at Lake Assal.
The document, initialled by Mr. Tanaka Hiroo, General Manager of JICA’s Infrastructure Management Department, and Dr Kayad Moussa Ahmed, General Manager of ODDEG, provides for the relocation of the JICA-funded Hanle geothermal resource exploration project to the Fialé site, due to the potential for more conclusive results, the implementation of new well-drilling activities at this site, subject to the availability of funds, and the establishment of a clear and precise timetable for achieving the expected results of geothermal power generation on Djibouti soil.
The two parties also agreed that JICA would continue to support ODDEG in its missions to research, explore and exploit geothermal resources in the country, even after the Fialé project’s intermediate reservoir has materialized on the ground. This will result in the installation of a small production unit and the raising of funds from Japanese independent power producers for additional drilling.
To this end, Djibouti and Japan have agreed to set up a Joint Monitoring Committee chaired by the Minister of Energy in charge of Natural Resources, and comprising representatives of all the stakeholders involved in the project. Coordination and consultation meetings will also be held every three months, to review the project’s progress and examine any problems, difficulties and constraints encountered, with a view to finding appropriate solutions.
The event was attended by the Chairman of ODDEG’s Board of Directors, Mr. Mohamed Sikieh Kayad, the Technical Advisor to the Minister of Energy in charge of Natural Resources, Mr. Mahdi Waberi Hassan, the Counsellor at the Djibouti Embassy in Japan, Mr. Hassan Ibrahim, and the Project Manager of ODDEG’s geothermal drilling programs, Mr. Abdirasak Omar Moumin.