Dung cakes (above, pictured) are the most widely used biomass energy in Ethiopia
Although Ethiopia is endowed with a variety of alternative energy resources such as hydro, wind, geothermal, and solar, biomass fuel comprises the lion’s share of the country’s total energy expenditure. As in most sub-Saharan countries, Ethiopia’s energy sector is highly dependent on biomass (firewood, charcoal, crop residues and animal dung). The bulk of the national energy consumption is met from biomass sources. In 2010, it was estimated that biomass energy accounted for 89 per cent of the total energy consumption. And nearly 60 million tons of biomass is consumed for energy purposes with about 81 per cent of the estimated 16 million households using firewood of whom 11.5 per cent cooking with leaves and dung cakes. The total national consumption of wood (including charcoal ) is estimated to be 105.2 million tones per year with 5.7 million tons being charcoal. Total consumption of crop residues and dung are 19.7 million tones per year respectively.
On the other hand, the very high degree of dependence on wood and agricultural residues for household energy has impacts on the social, economic and environmental well-being of society. A growing demand for biomass together with an increased demand for agricultural output (land for crop production, livestock feed) has resulted in reduced access to wood fuels.
Ethiopia’s National Energy Policy which was issued in 1994 underlines the critical role of biomass energy in the country’s energy sector. It aims to address household energy problems by promoting agro-forestry, increasing the efficiency with which biomass fuels are utilized, and facilitating the shift to greater use of modern fuels. However, the successful development of the country’s biomass energy resources has been hampered by a combination of factors including poor institutional framework, inadequate planning and lack of coordination. In this regard, there was no biomass strategy to direct and coordinate actions.
Moreover, the strategies developed previously such as the Rural Biomass Energy Strategy Report (2004) which was developed by the Biomass Technology Group (University of Twente, the Netherlands); and the draft Rural Energy Strategy (2007) which was developed by the formerly Ethiopian Rural Energy Development and Promotion centre have not led to the required results due to lack of ownership by the key institutions and comprehensive approach including all related sectors.
Accordingly, Ethiopia has been preparing a new biomass strategy known as Biomass Energy Strategy (BEST) which aims to utilize its biomass resources efficiently. The strategy has been prepared by the Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy, and European Union Energy Initiative Partnership Dialogue Facility (EUEI PDF) provided the full financial support for the strategy development process and international consultants who guided and developed the strategy. Recently a final workshop on BEST was held where different stakeholders from various sectors took part.
On the workshop, it was noted that the preparation of BEST has been strongly process orientated with active involvement of all stakeholders at all stages of its development. BEST provides a summery of the findings of the baseline and scenario analysis focusing on biomass energy supply and demand in both urban and rural sectors. The scenario analysis comprises a business as usual scenario with one that examines the impact of implementing the main interventions on biomass energy supply and demand as outlined in the Climate Resilient Green Economy (CRGE). BEST also details the biomass energy strategy in terms of targets and actions required beyond the biomass energy sector and the action plan and sets out actions required on the demand and supply sides.
Speaking at a workshop which was organized recently Asres Wolde-Giorgies, Alternative Energy Technology Development and Promotion Directorate Director at the Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy said the very high degree of dependence on wood and agriculture residues for household energy has impacts on social, economic and environmental well-being of society.
According to him, the development of the country’s biomass energy resources has been hampered by a combination of factors including poor institutional framework, inadequate planning, and lack of coordination. “There was no as such a comprehensive biomass energy strategy to direct and coordinate actions in the past years,” the Director added.
He further noted that the availability of such strategy (BEST) will have a vital role in supporting the implementation of the government’s national programmes in the energy sector in particular and CRGE pillars in general by developing action plans and investment projects and will be an important instrument for proper management of the country’s biomass energy resources.
The Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy has been leading the process of developing the strategy since the inception by establishing a steering and technical committee which comprises representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Federal Protection and Forestry, Federal Micro and Small Enterprises Agency, Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, Ministry of Trade and Industry, and GIZ Energy Coordination Office.
It is clear that having the strategy document is not an end but a means Asres said. “The real task will be ensuring ownership by all concerned stakeholders, endorsement of the strategy document and getting direction from the government on the implementation of the strategy”, he underlined. “To this effect, our Ministry in cooperation with relevant sectors will continue its leadership to realize the successful implementation of the strategy. Asres further added that specifically, the current Biomass Energy Strategy Document tried to indicate a clear baseline situation of the biomass energy sector in Ethiopia; analyzed institutional challenges in the biomass energy sector and finally defined the major trends and implication which are helpful in building consensus and promote wider awareness among the stakeholders on the role of biomass energy in the country.
Ina de Visser, EU Energy Initiative Partnership Dialogue Facility (EUEI PDF) on her part told The Ethiopian Herald that EUEI PDF supported the development of BEST as per the resuest it recieved from the Ethiopian Ministry of Water and Energy as biomass supplies such a high share of energy and a formal holistic strategy was not in place.
“EUEI PDF acknowledged that Ethiopia would benefit from such a strategy. The cooperation formally started in 2012,” she said.
EUEI PDF also provided the fund for the international consultants who guided and developed the strategy. Since then, she said, the consultants have provided the development of the strategy with a sound information base . The information on biomass use and production was collected from different pasts of the country and presented in a concise report in the previous workshops.
Visser further added that based on the reports, scenarios were developed to demonstrate where the current practices are leading. “The use of biomass will be increasing further, in spite of the urban middle class shifting to electricity and LPG. Drives for further increase of biomass use are population growth and urbanization,” she said adding,” even with implementation of the CRGE that set ambitious plans for assimilation of improved stoves, the demand for wood will increase. This demonstrates the strong need for additional actions in the biomass sector.”
Sourced here: http://www.ethpress.gov.et/herald/index.php/herald/development/4879-a-step-forward-to-properly-manage-biomass-energy-sources
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