06 · Site & resources
Tendaho is a resource. The pin is a hypothesis.
Dubti Woreda, Zone 1, Afar — on the Awash/Tendaho corridor, ~600 km from Addis, on the Djibouti road. Heat, sun and emptiness are the reasons to be here. Water, wind-blown basalt, pastoral land and logistics are the reasons to go slowly.
Coordinates
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Sponsor GPS | 11.8566°N, 41.6715°E |
| Stated site | Tendaho / Alalobeda (Dubti Woreda, Zone 1, Afar) |
| Lease area | 150 ha (100 plant / 20 greenhouse / 30 buffer) |
| Nearest admin | Semera (regional capital) / Dubti |
| Issue | Sponsor GPS 11.8566°N, 41.6715°E sits ~60–70 km east of Dubti town. Independent siting must confirm it sits on the Alalobeda/Tendaho resource, not merely in the wider Danakil. Dubti itself is ~11.73°N, 41.09°E. |
Solar
Afar GHI is excellent for PV. CSP needs measured DNI (not GHI). Sponsor figure 2.102 MWh/m²/yr is GHI-scale, not a bankable DNI series. 12-month on-site DNI with soiling is a condition precedent.
| Station | GHI kWh/m²·day |
|---|---|
| Semera | 6.7 |
| Dubti | 6.1 |
| Assaita | 6.3 |
| Afar range (2026 paper) | 5.4–7.1 kWh/m²/day |
Research Square / regional solar papers, May 2026. GHI ≠ DNI.
Geothermal
Exploration and test drilling over decades. No commercial geothermal plant operates at Tendaho. Ethiopia’s operating geothermal reference remains the Aluto-Langano pilot (historically 7.3 MW). A September 2026 plant tracker lists that pilot as mothballed and two 35 MW units as under construction — treat ‘7.3 MW online’ as disputed, not as firm capacity. Deep wells in Ayrobera and Dubti have measured 220–270°C measured in deep wells (Ayrobera/Dubti). Alalobeda springs sit at Alalobeda springs 150–220°C. That is an exploration fact set, not a 20 MW P90 reserves statement.
| Field | MW | Status 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Aluto-Langano | 7.3 | Pilot historically 7.3 MW. Expansion toward ~70–75 MW reported; Sep 2026 tracker lists pilot mothballed. Not COD. |
| Corbetti | 150 | Stalled. Sep 2026: tariff renegotiation with EEP/MoF. Taranis (Perenco) convertible up to $27M, Jun 2026. Drilling not confirmed restarted. |
| Tulu Moye | 150 | Stalled. Sep 2026: litigation halted; PPA and investment terms being rewritten. Meridiam / Reykjavik Geothermal. Not operating. |
Water, soil, seismicity
Sponsor appendices describe a fractured-basalt aquifer at 1,500–2,000 m, 2,000 m³/day RO, 150 kPa allowable bearing, PGA 0.30 g (DBE). Treat those numbers as design targets until a licensed Ethiopian hydrogeologist and a seismic site-response study sign them. Afar is an active rift. Liquefaction, well collapse and fluoride/silica chemistry are not generic geotech.
Grid
Semera/Dubti sit on the northern Ethiopian grid toward the Djibouti interconnection. A 250 MW injection needs a 230 kV bay, likely a new line, and an EEP system-impact study. Distance/time figures in the source pack are not a signed interconnection agreement. Budget $80–100M and 24–36 months — and assume curtailment until GERD dispatch rules and the Sudan/Djibouti lines are contractually available.