Ashgoda Wind Power Station in Tigray Regional State has rekindled its turbines after a three-year lull, marking an addition to the country’s renewable energy mix. Kahse Tsehay, the station head, attributed the power plant’s dormancy to the conflict that plagued the region for the past three years. This unfortunate situation not only halted electricity generation but also resulted in damage to critical equipment.
According to Kahse, the wind farm’s generating units lay idle for an extended period, causing wear and tear on turbine unit batteries, the main control unit equipment, distribution station battery chargers, and the oil and grease fluids. Despite these challenges, he said commendable efforts at the site have yielded positive results where ongoing maintenance work has already enabled the station to generate an average of 24.4MW of electricity.
Ashgoda boasts 54 three-bladed and 30 two-bladed wind turbines. Maintainance of 22 three-bladed turbines has been completed, with inspections and servicing currently underway for an additional five.
However, the path to full capacity is not without its hurdles. Kahse pinpointed delayed procurement of spare parts, manpower shortage and water supply issues as obstacles hindering the progress of operation and maintenance activities.
