Siemens Gamesa - Afrikan Heroes

Siemens Gamesa Expands Leadership in Africa, Seals First Wind Farm Project in Ethiopia

January 4, 2021

Roberto Sabalza, CEO for Onshore Southern Europe and Africa at Siemens Gamesa

Siemens Gamesa has sealed its first wind farm in Ethiopia with a 29 SG 3.4-132 wind turbines to state-owned utility Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) for the Assela project; the 100 MW wind farm will help power over 400,000 Ethiopian households; the wind farm is set to be commissioned by Spring 2023, and will save more than 260,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year. Siemens Gamesa has signed its first wind power project in Ethiopia with state-owned electricity company Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP), strengthening its leadership in Africa as the country begins to expand its green energy capacity to meet ambitious renewable targets.

The 100 MW Assela wind farm will be located between the towns of Adama and Assela, approximately 150 km south of the capital, Addis Ababa, and will contribute to clean and affordable power for the country’s electricity grid. The country has set an ambitious target to supply 100% of its domestic energy demand through renewable energy by 2030. According to the African Development Bank, Ethiopia has abundant resources, particularly wind with a potential 10 GW of installation capacity and having installed 324 MW at present.

“Siemens Gamesa is intent on expanding its leadership across Africa, and in turn help a growing transition to green energy across the continent. So, we are extremely pleased to begin work in Ethiopia and look forward to collaborating with both EEP and the country to continue to promote their drive to install more renewables and meet transformational energy targets,” said Roberto Sabalza, CEO for Onshore Southern Europe and Africa at Siemens Gamesa. According to a Wood Mackenzie forecast, around 2 GW of wind power would be installed in Ethiopia by 2029.

The wind farm will be made up of 29 SG 3.4-132 wind turbines and is expected to be commissioned by the start of 2023. The project will generate about 300,000 MWh per year. Siemens Gamesa will provide full engineering, procurement, and turnkey construction.

The Assela wind project will be financed by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs via Danida Business Finance (DBF) adding to a loan agreement signed between the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance and Economic Cooperation (MoFEC) and Danske Bank A/S.

Ethiopia has many renewable resources covering wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass, and the country aspires to be a power hub and the battery for the Horn of Africa. The country’s National Electrification Program, launched in 2017, outlines a plan to reach universal access by 2025 with the help of off-grid solutions for 35% of the population.

Siemens Gamesa is among the global leaders in the wind power industry, with a strong presence in all facets of the renewable energy business: offshore, onshore, and services. With more than 107 GW installed worldwide; Siemens Gamesa is an ideal partner for Ethiopia at this critical juncture in the East African nation’s accelerating energy journey

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Siemens Gamesa Intervene for African Communities Through the COVID-19 Crisis

August 27, 2020

Sonia Adnane, Head of Communications and Public Affairs Africa, Siemens

Siemens has raised the bar in its corporate social responsibility by reaching out to various communities in Africa to help cushion the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on them. More than 100,000 beneficiaries in Africa heavily impacted by the crisis across Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, South Africa and Kenya have benefitted from the Siemens Gamesa’s medical, food and sanitary product donations.

The company has put in place several social responsibility programs to fight the consequences of the COVID-19 crisis; A sum of €350,000 was dedicated to African countries severely impacted by COVID-19; The initiatives included mainly food and sanitary product donations benefitting more than 100 000 individuals in Morocco, Egypt, South Africa, Kenya and Jordan.Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) has launched a series of social impact projects to contribute to the fight against COVID-19 around the world, including a series of initiatives to help African nations impacted by the crisis.

The company’s global campaign covered donations of €1 million worth of healthcare supplies and other relief to hospitals and communities with an allocated sum of €350,000 dedicated to African countries severely impacted by COVID-19. These donations are in addition to the company’s pledge to match staff donations up to €1 million for the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) ‘COVID 19 Emergency Appeal’ campaign.

African governments and health authorities are striving to slow down the spread of COVID-19 that is sending shock waves through their health systems, economies, and societies. Many of Africa’s healthcare and social systems are not prepared to handle the crisis, and extreme poverty affects 34% of the continent’s population, which could lead to even worse effects. Difficulties will increase for those working in the informal sector, which makes up 80% of Africa’s employed population.

The aid that Siemens Gamesa provided across many African nations benefitted more than 100.000 individuals in Egypt, Morocco, South Africa, Kenya, and Jordan through donations of food, sanitary product donations and warm clothing.

The specific donation campaigns includes Siemens Gamesa’s efforts towards taking long-term actions such as providing medical equipment to Ras Ghareb Hospital that will not only benefit COVID-19 patients, but also provide the hospital with a set of permanent resources after the pandemic.

Through the company’s SGRE Impact social commitment initiative which focused this year on alleviating the effects of COVID-19, food bags and sanitary products have been distributed alongside tree planting campaigns benefiting vulnerable rural households in Morocco, South Africa and Jordan. Another project targeted Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp and aimed to provide equal access to medical care and sanitary products, training courses on health and nutrition as well as water and community toilets for the 45 500 refugees.

In Tangier, where the first blade factory in Africa and Middle East is located, the company has provided €100,000 worth of temporary shelter benefitting local authorities in the region. The team has also organized a food and sanitary donation for 1000 families lasting a month and a blood donation campaign where 35% of the workforce participated in.

“We feel it is our responsibility to contribute where we can and help mitigate the effects of this crisis as much as possible. The team at Siemens Gamesa is very proud to work at a company that places value on community,” said Sonia Adnane, Head of Communications and Public Affairs Africa. “We hope these acts of social commitment will lay the foundation for a greater spirit of community to support long-term sustainable development across the continent.”