Could the Red Sea be a natural dam for Eritrea?

Since independence, Eritrea has built over 300 dams for agriculture and potable water reservoirs. Photo: Eritrean agriculture dam.

Could the Red Sea be a natural dam for Eritrea?  


Eritrea spent US$320 million importing diesel, petrol, furnace and gas to meet most of its energy needs this fiscal year. The government spending large sums of its budget towards importing its energy needs is a telling sign of how limited its options are in creating renewable energy internally. But with the rising global oil prices putting a strain on the economy, the government seeks to cut back on imports in favor of developing clean and affordable energy solutions domestically.

One interesting idea that has been circulating of late is damming the Red Sea. In a recently published thesis for the International Journal of Environmental Science and Development, Hossana Solomon, an associate professor of Economics at University of the Virgin Islands, believes damming the Red Sea can solve Eritrea's growing energy needs and could be a source of potable water.

The scheme behind it is simple, too. Since the land from the port town of Tio to Marsa Fatima is moderately sloped, Solomon believes an open canal could be dug to create a salt river that flows into the Danakil Depression. Once the seawater enters the depression, the force of water going downstream will rotate turbines in electric generator plants to produce power. After the exhausted water produces energy, Solomon says it can be desalinated to produce fresh water through reverse osmosis.

Critics argue the concept would be too expensive and could affect the mobility of sea life. But Solomon disagrees. He believes they can design a gate at the entrance in such a way that fish or other aquatic animals would not pass into the salt river. He also points out that costs will be relatively low, since much of the infrastructure needed is already provided by the topography of the area.

While Solomon's concept may seem like an expensive scheme, it's important to note that traditional renewable sources such as solar and wind cannot keep up with annual increases in energy demand and are far more expensive to build and maintain on larger scales. This leaves the country with few options of affordable renewable energy sources that can meet the country's growing demands.

Solomon's idea has the potential of being a game changer for Eritrea. If feasible, it can save the country hundreds of million of dollars annually, alleviate poverty, create potable water and provide renewable clean energy for the foreseeable future. The Eritrean government should initiate a feasibility study of this concept, and international organizations, concerned with global warming and poverty alleviation, could be able to assist and participate in financing such study.

Percentage of population in East Africa with access to electricity. Credit: World Bank 2013/Fikrejesus Amhazion

Sponsored Ads