Danakali plans to use wind and solar energy

Australian Danakali is exploring the use of solar and wind power for its Colluli project in Eritrea.

“We are determined to use renewable energy sources and conduct our business in such a way to have a positive impact on the environment,” said Seamus Ian Cornelius, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Danakali.

Danakali also admits the possibility of using geothermal energy, since the Colluli project is located within the Danakil Depression, which is characterized by very high air temperature and the presence of active and dormant volcanoes. The complicated geological and geographical conditions became the reason for the formation of large evaporite deposits here. They contain two potassium-bearing positions, the lower one has a predominantly carnallite composition and lies at a depth of about 400 meters, while the upper one has a predominantly sylvinite composition and lies at a depth from 25 to 180 meters. The thickness of the lower position reaches 17 meters, and the upper one reaches 1.7 meters, the average content of potassium oxide there is 17% and 12.5%, respectively.

Within this project, Danakali intends to build an enterprise for the extraction of potassium salts and the production of potassium sulfate. Its capacity is planned to be 472 thousand tons of potassium sulfate per year with the prospect of reaching 944 thousand tons. The enterprise may start operating already next year.