2merkato

The mining production potential of artisan miners in Ethiopia and their ability to generate income has grown in the past few years announced the Ministry of Mines.

The productivity and livelihood of the artisan miners has improved following the set up of the Artisan Minerals Directorate with the ministry said Bacha Faji, Director of Public Relations and Communication Directorate with of MoM.

In the past the poor network among producers, brokers and exporters in the middle had all resulted in a significant amount of illegal contraband trade of minerals resulting in low revenue from the sector said Bacha.

Total Ethiopia showcased three different types of solar lamps. The lamps have the potential to continuously give light for eight to ten hours non stop.

The solar lamps can also be used to recharge mobile phones in the eventuality of a black out. The solar lamps are available for sale at all Total Service stations.

Total also introduced environmentally friendly oil tanker technology. The new tanker is double layered equipped with a siren alert in the case of leakage helping to reduce pollution.

Ethiopia is to conduct a feasibility study for the construction of a 250 million US dollar wind farm in Assela using a 1 million dollar loan from the African Development Fund.

The Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation is in the process of identifying a suitable site and laying the groundwork to hire contractors although financing for the 250 million project is yet to be established.

The contractors will undertake environmental and social impact assessment and investment cost estimations as well as economic and financial analysis said Miskir Negash, Head of Communication with the EEPCo.

Ethiopia is borrowing 1.78 billion birr to produce 50MW of power from refuse accumulated at the Repi Waste Disposal in Addis Ababa according to the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation. This ground breaking effort is part of plans to diversify the national power supply it was said.

The EEPCo signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Cambridge Industries, a UK company, to facilitate the project including garbage collection, treatment and conversion to electric power.

The financing for the project was obtained through a low interest loan said Miskir Negash, Head of Public Relation of the corporation.