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By www.timeslive.co.za/
Ethiopia, which has just inaugurated its largest hydro-electric power station to date, hopes to soon complete a programme that will generate not only enough power for the country’s needs but also for export. 
Photograph by: Mark Wessels.
The Gilegel Gibe II dam inaugurated last Wednesday is 250 kilometres (155 miles) south of the capital Addis Ababa on the River Omo. The new station, which cost 281 million euros and which was financed partly by Italy, will produce 420 megawatts (MW).
The plant is three kilometres downstream from a first hydro-electric dam Gilegel Gibe I.
A third dam, Gilegel Gibe III, was started further downstream still, and is one-third completed, according to the authorities, who expect it to become operational in 2013. It will have a capacity of 400 MW.
On the Blue Nile, to the West, another hydro-electric plant at Tana Beles is nearly finished and will come online in March, according to the Ethiopian government. It will have the capacity to produce 460 MW.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, a champion of renewable energies, stressed at the inauguration ceremony for the dam that it “is possible to speed up development without polluting the environment.”
He also reaffirmed that his government “wants to double the country’s energy capacity over the current level of 860 MW in the next five years.” But the focus on hydraulic resources is causing problems with Ethiopia’s neighbours, particularly now that a fourth dam is planned on the Omo River.
Last June Addis Ababa and Nairobi held talks on Gilegel Gibe III. The Kenyan government has not opposed the dam but environmental and civil society groups in Kenya argue that the project will have serious environmental consequences as the Omo River feeds into Lake Turkana.
Numerous experts, including the Kenyan palaeo-anthropologist and ecologist Richard Leakey, have said the project will have a “catastrophic effect” on the environment and on those living downstream from the dam as well as on the ecosystem of Lake Turkana, situated in a very arid region.
Likewise taking water from the Blue Nile has also triggered recurrent disputes with Egypt to the north.
Ethiopia has branched out into new means of clean energy production. The country has invested in a wind farm, which will be Africa’s biggest, currently under construction in the northern Tigray region in partnership with French company Vergnet. It should be producing 120 MW by 2012.
In October Ethiopa encouraged companies to invest in the country’s geothermal resources, which could, if fully exploited, the government says, produce 5,000 MW against the 7 MW currently produced.
Ethiopia has signed deals to export electricity to Sudan and Djibouti.
The authorities have said they will not start exporting electricity to the neighbours until the country’s internal requirements, estimated at 1,200 MW, have been met.
But those internal requirements keep on rising, notably because of the electrification programmes undertaken for the country’s 80 million inhabitants, and because of the construction of new factories, such as cement and glass works, both heavy consumers of electricity.
http://www.timeslive.co.za/scitech/article267297.ece?service=print
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Stratex hails Ethiopia results Article Date: Jan 19 2010
Gold hopeful Stratex International is upping its stake in Ethiopia’s Shehagne project after positive exploration results.
The London-based AIM counter, which is pursuing gold and base metal projects in Ethiopia and Turkey, says channel chip sampling has defined a zone of gold mineralization measuring 900 metres by 200 within Shehagne’s Tsemmetti target area. The best intersections include 11 metres with 4.39 grammes of gold per tonne of ore and 40 metres at 1.4 grammes a tonne, while individual vein samples have been assayed up to 66.3 grammes (2.13 oz) a tonne.
Stratex is proceeding to earn an initial 60 per cent of Shehagne by spending £250,000 on top of previous outlays. Executive chairman David Hall proclaims ‘2010 looks to be an exciting year for Stratex, as we plan to widen our exploration activities in Ethiopia’, singling out a new discovery at Megenta in the country’s Rift Valley.
Floated at 5p in 2006, Stratex shares dropped to 1.63p over the past year but have now bounced to 4.5p, valuing the company at £11.2 million. They have speculative appeal for the risk-friendly.
This story is from Growth Company Investor, the independent voice on fast-growing companies. Subscribe today for the latest AIM recommendations
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Stratex to press ahead with Shehagne gold option
18 January 2010
Exploration and development company Stratex International has announced further encouraging gold results from its exploration programme on the 37 sq km Shehagne Exclusive Exploration Licence in northern Ethiopia.
Stratex will now proceed with its previously announced option to acquire 60% of the licence.
Results define an extensive zone of gold mineralisation 900m long and more than 200m wide within the Tsemmetti target area.
Best intersections include 11m grading 4.39 g/t gold and 40m grading 1.40.
The company has a joint venture with PLUS-quoted Sheba Exploration to earn-in to an initial 60% of the prospective 50 sq km Shehagne project and explore targets in northern Ethiopia on a 70:30 JV basis. It also holds a 5.45% stake in Sheba.
Chairman David Hall said, 'These positive results emphasise the significant potential of this new exploration frontier.
'In light of these results we will aggressively continue our option to acquire 60% of this exciting prospect through an expanded programme of geological mapping and sampling that will lead to prioritising drill targets for the latter part of the year.
'2010 looks to be an exciting year for Stratex as we plan to widen our exploration activities in Ethiopia, particularly in relation to our new gold discovery, Megenta, in the Ethiopian Rift Valley.
'Additionally we will continue to advance our gold discoveries in Turkey and fast-track our Inlice and Altintepe oxide-gold projects towards production with our Turkish partners NTF.'
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/services/pop_print.htm?id=43783&tb=bh
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Stratex Intl to go ahead with 60% option over Shehagne license as sampling returns high gold grades
Monday, January 18, 2010
Turkey and Ethiopia operating gold miner Stratex International (AIM: STI) intends to proceed with its previously announced option to acquire 60% of the Shehagne Exclusive Exploration License (Shehagne EEL) in Ethiopia by expending a further £250,000 after its exploration programme returned further high grade results.
Channel chip results defined an extensive zone of gold mineralisation of 900 metres in length and more than 200 metres in width within the Tsemmetti target area, where the latest exploration results included intersections of 11 metres grading 4.39 g/t (grammes per tonne) gold and 40 metres grading 1.40 g/t gold and selective individual and composite vein samples assayed up to 66.30 g/t gold and including 46.8 g/t gold, 26.5 g/t gold, 23.8 g/t gold, 20.8 g/t gold and 14.7 g/t gold.
The company is currently awaiting results from a new zone discovered 800 metres to the north-north-west of the Tsemmetti area.
“These positive results emphasize the significant potential of this new exploration frontier. In light of these results we will aggressively continue our option to acquire 60% of this exciting prospect through an expanded programme of geological mapping and sampling that will lead to prioritizing drill targets for the latter part of the year…the board believe this progress will establish Stratex as a leading exploration and development company,” said executive chairman David Hall.
Stratex signed a letter of intent with Sheba in August 2009 to earn-in to an initial 60% of Sheba's Shehagne EEL, and the formation of a joint venture (JV) to explore and acquire a new licence in northern Ethiopia. Stratex has also acquired a 5.45% interest in Sheba for £40,000 through a private placement at 0.75p and is also entitled to matching warrants at 0.75p exercisable for two years.
Under the terms of the agreement, Stratex can earn 60% of the Shehagne EEL by expending £100,000 in the initial three months and a further £250,000 over the subsequent 18 months. It may also earn a further 20% by taking the project to completion of a bankable feasibility study.
Shares in Stratex rose 6% on the news today.
http://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/12268/stratex-intl-to-go-ahead-with-60-option-over-shehagne-license-as-sampling-returns-high-gold-grades-12268.html
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Stratex International expands into Ethiopia
by Andre Lamberti
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Stratex International PLC (AIM: STI) announced a move into Ethiopia via acquiring a stake in a PLUS-listed company that holds an exclusive exploration licence (EEL) in the north of the country and entering a joint venture with its new partner to explore new prospective targets and licence areas.
So far, Stratex has been focusing on exploring, developing and then joint venturing projects in central and Western Turkey, and is now planning on repeating this in Ethiopia.
Stratex has put up £40,000 to take a 5.6 percent stake in Sheba Exploration (UK) PLC and has signed a binding letter of intent with Sheba to earn-in to an initial 60 percent of the prospective Shehagne project near the northern Ethiopian town of Adwa.
Additionally Stratex and Sheba have agreed a joint venture on a respective 70:30 basis to explore new prospective targets and licence areas in northern Ethiopia. The company believes that potential licence areas, which currently are under review, have excellent potential for gold and/or copper and massive sulphide occurrences. Under the terms of the new JV, Sheba may earn up to 50 percent of the JV by reimbursing Stratex a further 20 percent of the total exploration costs.
Stratex chairman David Hall said: “The Arabian Nubian Shield, which encompasses areas of Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia and Yemen as well as Ethiopia, is a region with high discovery potential as shown by Centamin's Sukari gold mine in Egypt, and Nevsun's Bisha gold-rich volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit in Eritrea.
“We believe that Ethiopia offers similar exciting opportunities for rapid low cost discovery and is not subject to many of the economic and political constraints that neighbouring countries are exposed to, such as product sharing agreements and security issues. Ethiopia is both logistically and financially an easy and cost effective place to explore,” he added.
The company can earn 60 percent in the 50 square kilometre Shehagne EEL by expending £100,000 in the initial three months and a further £250,000 over the subsequent 18 months. It may also earn a further 20 percent by taking the project to completion of a feasibility study.
The Shehagne EEL has already been explored by Sheba and extensive gold anomalism in soil has been identified. The main target to date is the Tsemmetti prospect in the south-eastern part of the EEL where Sheba has defined a large - 100 parts per billion - gold-in-soil anomaly over a three kilometre strike.
Stratex intends to undertake regional sediment sampling of the entire concession and complete systematic exploration of prospects already defined.
The Federal Republic of Ethiopia's mineral resources' potential is high - gold copper zinc and potash are the major minerals mined in Ethiopia, the company said.
http://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/7684/stratex-international-expands-into-ethiopia-7684.html
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Stratex International
Stratex International is an exploration and development company focusing on gold and high-value base metals. The company objective is to be a leading-edge and innovative explorer whilst creating revenue from gold and base metal production via well-managed joint-ventures.
Since formation, Stratex has rapidly amassed a portfolio of high-potential exploration licences in Turkey, primarily focussed on gold. Two oxide-gold projects are being fast-tracked to production via a JV with Turkish partner, NTF. Exploration of the recent key Öksüt gold discovery is being funded by TSX-listed Centerra Gold Inc., whilst exploration at Hasançelebi is being funded by Teck Madencilik Sanayi Ticaret A.S., the 100% owned Turkish subsidiary of Teck Resources Limited. The company has also recently announced a new exploration initiative in Ethiopia, a country that it believes has considerable potential for the discovery of gold and base metal deposits.
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http://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/7684/stratex-international-expands-into-ethiopia-7684.html
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